onerous

American  

[on-er-uhs, oh-ner-] / ˈɒn ər əs, ˈoʊ nər- /

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.

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onerous British  

/ 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

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Other Word Forms

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

Etymology

Origin of onerous

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

Example Sentences

One of the settlement’s most onerous requirements—at which investment banks have bristled for years—was the firewall that separates investment banking from research analysts.

From The Wall Street Journal

For the companies, the deals secure protection from onerous tariffs and provide more certainty about U.S. drug pricing policy.

From The Wall Street Journal

In an apparent compromise, he said the administration would target the “most onerous examples of state regulation,” adding that it wouldn’t push back on efforts such as child safety.

From The Wall Street Journal

States with “onerous AI laws” could lose federal funding from a broadband deployment program and other grants, the order said.

From Los Angeles Times

That is distinct from FSOC’s earlier approach to evaluating risks, which he argued led to onerous regulation and stymied growth.

From Barron's

Related Words

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