burdensome
Americanadjective
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oppressively heavy; onerous.
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distressing; troublesome.
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Nautical. having a full hull form, as a merchant vessel built for capacity rather than speed.
adjective
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of burdensome
Explanation
Something that's burdensome is very difficult or tiring. It's better to weed your garden regularly, rather than put it off until it becomes an exhausting, burdensome task. Some summer jobs are easy and relaxing, like your laid-back dog walking business — other jobs are much more burdensome, like babysitting a large family of kids or lifeguarding at a pool where people keep nearly drowning. Something that's a burden, a physical load or a duty that weighs heavily on you, is burdensome. The Proto-Indo-European root means "to bear" or "to carry," and also "to give birth."
Vocabulary lists containing burdensome
Unit 3: Compelling Evidence
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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.
Immigrants detained at two federal facilities in California have launched a boycott in protest of increasing and, in their view, burdensome prices at the facilities’ commissaries for items including tampons, coffee and soup.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 1, 2026
These hurdles can grow burdensome for medical providers, enrollees and their caregivers, yet by then it’s not easy to leave the program.
From Barron's ● Jun. 11, 2026
Government guidance says the duty should "always be applied in a proportionate way" depending on the circumstances of the case and that organisations should avoid an "overly bureaucratic and burdensome approach".
From BBC ● Jun. 8, 2026
Companies are staying private longer because of the 2002 Sarbanes-Oxley Act’s burdensome regulations, shareholder litigation and abundant financing available in private markets.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 21, 2026
In the house, they were made to feel burdensome; now she was being scolded for leaving.
From "Zeitoun" by Dave Eggers
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.
