Dictionary.com

onerous

[ on-er-uhs, oh-ner- ]
/ ˈɒn ər əs, ˈoʊ nər- /
SEE SYNONYMS FOR onerous ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective

burdensome, oppressive, or troublesome; causing hardship: onerous duties.
having or involving obligations or responsibilities, especially legal ones, that outweigh the advantages: an onerous agreement.

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Origin of onerous

1350–1400; Middle English <Latin onerōsus, equivalent to oner- (stem of onus) burden + -ōsus-ous

SYNONYMS FOR onerous ON THESAURUS.COM

1 heavy, crushing, grievous; irksome, galling.
SEE SYNONYMS FOR onerous ON THESAURUS.COM

OTHER WORDS FROM onerous

Words nearby onerous

one picture is worth a thousand words, one-piece, oner, one-reeler, One rotten (or bad) apple spoils the barrel, onerous, cup of tea, one's, days are numbered, one's, ears are burning, one's, oneself, eyes are bigger than one's stomach, one's
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Words related to onerous

distressing, intolerable, troublesome, excessive, harsh, oppressive, taxing, weighty, backbreaking, arduous, severe, demanding, exhausting, burdensome, strenuous, rigorous, cumbersome, laborious, grueling, painful

Example sentences from the Web for onerous

British Dictionary definitions for onerous

onerous
/ (ˈɒnərəs, ˈəʊ-) /

adjective

laborious or oppressive
law (of a contract, lease, etc) having or involving burdens or obligations that counterbalance or outweigh the advantages

Derived forms of onerous

onerously, adverbonerousness, noun

Word Origin for onerous

C14: from Latin onerōsus burdensome, from onus load
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012