onerous
Americanadjective
-
laborious or oppressive
-
law (of a contract, lease, etc) having or involving burdens or obligations that counterbalance or outweigh the advantages
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of onerous
1350–1400; Middle English < Latin onerōsus, equivalent to oner- (stem of onus ) burden + -ōsus -ous
Explanation
If one teacher gives you three hours of homework a night, that's rough. But if all of your teachers do it, that makes the task of completing your homework an onerous one, to say the least. If something is onerous, it is very difficult to deal with or do. A near synonym is burdensome. In legal usage, onerous describes a contract or lease that has more obligations than advantages. Onerous derives from Middle English, from Old French onereus, from Latin onerōsus, from onus "burden." In English, an onus is a task or duty that is onerous, or very difficult.
Vocabulary lists containing onerous
300 Most Difficult "SAT" Words
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Into the Wild
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The Legend of Sleepy Hollow
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Onerous regulations also make it needlessly difficult for us to treat the many patients for whom methadone is the best medication.
From Seattle Times • Aug. 8, 2023
Onerous local laws that require every gym and office, every sneaker store and Korean barbecue and donut shop, and most importantly every home to come with a certain number of parking spots.
From Slate • Sep. 16, 2022
Onerous and confusing reporting requirements can cause employed beneficiaries to lose their insurance anyway, as Arkansas learned last year.
From Washington Post • Dec. 12, 2019
Onerous, colonial-era laws against defamation and sedition mean frivolous cases can easily be registered with police, triggering years of expensive court proceedings.
From The Guardian • Dec. 31, 2017
Onerous as these terms were, the agreement came not a moment too soon.
From The Pirates of Malabar, and an Englishwoman in India Two Hundred Years Ago by Biddulph, J. (John)
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
