onerous
adjective
ˈō- 
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What is the Difference Between onerous, burdensome, oppressive?
Onerous, which traces back to the Latin onus, meaning "burden," has several synonyms. Like onerous, burdensome, oppressive, and exacting all refer to something which imposes a hardship of some kind. Onerous stresses a sense of laboriousness and heaviness, especially because something is distasteful ("the onerous task of cleaning up the mess"). Burdensome suggests something which causes mental as well as physical strain ("the burdensome responsibilities of being a supervisor"). Oppressive implies extreme harshness or severity in what is imposed ("the oppressive tyranny of a police state"). Exacting suggests rigor or sternness rather than tyranny or injustice in the demands made or in the one demanding ("an exacting employer who requires great attention to detail").
Synonyms
- bitter
- brutal
- burdensome
- cruel
- excruciating
- grievous
- grim
- hard
- hardhanded
- harsh
- heavy
- inhuman
- murderous
- oppressive
- rough
- rugged
- searing
- severe
- stiff
- tough
- trying
Example Sentences
Sharon Begley, Newsweek, 23 June 2008 The first hitch occurred when the state education department took a full six months after the new law was adopted to issue 12 pages of onerous rules and regulations governing Arkansas charter schools. Wendy Cole, Time, 10 June 2000 Environmentalism poses stark issues of survival, for humankind and for all those other tribes of creatures over which we have exercised our onerous dominion. Marilynne Robinson, The Death of Adam, 1998 Rap tested well, but early on the promoters said they wouldn't be booking any gangsta rap, a move at least partly designed to calm security concerns during the onerous process of complying with the strict mass-gathering laws enacted in the wake of the 1969 festival. John Milward, Rolling Stone, 11 Aug. 1994 The government imposed onerous taxes on imports. had the onerous and stressful job of notifying the families of soldiers killed in action See More Elissa Strauss, CNN, 1 Sep. 2022 The raw meat diet may continue to be demystified in further research, and the lifestyle might lose some of its onerous, hypermasculine baggage. Luke Winkie, Bon Appétit, 31 Aug. 2022 That includes rethinking the onerous path its baristas must take to make a Frappuccino. WSJ, 31 Aug. 2022 Election officials said many of the onerous requests seek ballot records, information on voting machines, and even the personal information of election workers -- which election offices will not provide. Laura Romero, ABC News, 30 Aug. 2022 The best way to stem pilot fatigue, as well as reduce the onerous flight delays and cancellations that have plagued the airline industry of late, is for airlines to trim their schedules, experts say. Megan Cerullo, CBS News, 24 Aug. 2022 Solutions, especially in small communities, are often onerous and expensive. Keely Larson, Ars Technica, 20 Aug. 2022 Minneapolis enacted two years of onerous executive-order lockdown policies starting in March 2020. Fox News, 17 Aug. 2022 Many states are also loosening requirements to become a teacher, calling them needlessly onerous. Sara Randazzo, WSJ, 16 Aug. 2022 See More Word History
Middle English, from Middle French honereus, from Latin onerosus, from oner-, onus burden; akin to Sanskrit anas cart
14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Kids Definition
onerous
adjective
E. B. White, The Trumpet of the Swan Legal Definition
onerous
adjective
onerous
adjective
Synonyms & Similar Words
- oppressive
- tough
- harsh
- hard
- severe
- burdensome
- brutal
- searing
- trying
- rough
- cruel
- heavy
- painful
- grim
- excruciating
- inhuman
- grievous
- murderous
- bleak
- bitter
- rugged
- stiff
- unpleasant
- uncomfortable
- forbidding
- unbearable
- stringent
- strict
- rigorous
- hardhanded
- inhospitable
- overwhelming
- austere
- spartan
- bad
- intolerable
- agonizing
- intemperate
- inclement
- unendurable
- tortuous
- comfortless
- discomforting
- insufferable
- crushing
- disagreeable
- biting
- grinding
- wretched
- hostile
- harrowing
- insupportable
- heartbreaking
- wild
- unfriendly
- wearing
- heartrending
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- easy
- light
- soft
- pleasant
- comfortable
- agreeable
- luxurious
- friendly
- hospitable
- cozy
- tolerable
- genial
- peaceful
- painless
- bearable
- restful
- mild
- moderate
- relaxing
- gentle
- snug
- endurable
- temperate
- calm
- reposeful
- balmy
- clement
Synonyms & Similar Words
- challenging
- difficult
- demanding
- burdensome
- arduous
- laborious
- taxing
- tough
- exacting
- grueling
- toilsome
- hard
- gruelling
- killing
- strenuous
- formidable
- persnickety
- testing
- oppressive
- herculean
- stringent
- rigorous
- severe
- trying
- stiff
- strict
- rigid
- rough
- stern
- rugged
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- undemanding
- easy
- simple
- light
- unchallenging
- effortless
- smooth
- facile
- nondemanding
Synonym Chooser
Some common synonyms of onerous are burdensome, exacting, and oppressive. While all these words mean "imposing hardship," onerous stresses being laborious and heavy especially because distasteful.
The synonyms burdensome and onerous are sometimes interchangeable, but burdensome suggests causing mental as well as physical strain.
While the synonyms exacting and onerous are close in meaning, exacting implies rigor or sternness rather than tyranny or injustice in the demands made or in the one demanding.
In some situations, the words oppressive and onerous are roughly equivalent. However, oppressive implies extreme harshness or severity in what is imposed.