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onerous

[ on-er-uhs, oh-ner- ]
/ ˈɒn ər əs, ˈoʊ nər- /
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See synonyms for: onerous / onerously 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

OTHER WORDS FROM onerous

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use onerous in a sentence

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
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