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

Mueller said that requirement is “not very reasonable,” and that ISPs typically don’t comply due to how onerous it would be.

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Lawmakers greatly reduced the number of European companies that would face onerous new reporting requirements by increasing the company-size thresholds at which the rules kick in.

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Some of the biggest obstacles facing Germany’s military planners are intangible: ponderous procurement rules, onerous data protection laws, and other regulations forged in a more peaceful era.

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But onerous regulations, especially on the handling of data, and political disagreements within Europe have hobbled the emergence of European players on a scale to rival their U.S. competitors.

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

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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