onerous

[on-er-uhs, oh-ner-]

adjective

1. burdensome, oppressive, or troublesome; causing hardship.

   onerous duties.

   Synonyms: galling, irksome, grievous, heavy

2. having or involving obligations or responsibilities, especially legal ones, that outweigh the advantages.

   an onerous agreement.

onerous

/ ˈəʊ-, ˈɒnərəs /

adjective

1. laborious or oppressive

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

Other Word Forms

• onerously adverb
• onerousness noun
• onerosity noun
• nononerous adjective
• nononerously adverb
• nononerousness noun
• unonerous adjective
• unonerously adverb
• unonerousness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of onerous¹

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of onerous¹

C14: from Latin onerōsus burdensome, from onus load

Example Sentences

Most people assume that estate planning is hard — that it’s complicated, expensive and onerous.

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That means American auto, electronics and defense companies wishing to import Chinese rare earth magnets still must undergo the onerous process of securing government licenses, which can take many weeks and sometimes result in denials.

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Being named on either list makes companies subject to onerous licensing requirements on exports and technology transfers.

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“Remodeling a kitchen or bathroom is onerous for most people. But building a house from the ground up is almost impossible,” Roy said.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

The city must keep tackling drug use and address a shortage of affordable housing, Lurie says, as well as bring more retail back and further cut red tape that can be onerous for businesses.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• arduous 
• backbreaking 
• burdensome 
• cumbersome 
• demanding 
• difficult 
• distressing www.thesaurus.com
• excessive 
• exhausting 
• grueling 
• harsh 
• intolerable 
• laborious 
• oppressive 
• painful 
• rigorous 
• severe 
• strenuous 
• taxing 
• troublesome