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onerous

Adjective

IPA /ˈəʊnərəs/

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Meaning in plain English

Requiring a great deal of effort or creating a heavy burden of difficulty, responsibility or worry for someone.

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Pronunciation

onerous/ˈəʊnərəs/

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One person takes on a huge garden
The maintenance requires constant work
The responsibility becomes a heavy burden

An onerous task demands great effort and feels burdensome.

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Examples in context

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Maintaining the huge garden became an onerous task for one person.
The new reporting requirements placed an onerous burden on the small team.

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Maintaining the huge garden became an ________ task for one person.

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onerous — Requiring a great deal of effort or creating a heavy burden of difficulty, responsibility or worry for someone.

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Requiring a great deal of effort or creating a heavy burden of difficulty, responsibility or worry for someone.

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Word origin

From Latin onerosus, related to onus, meaning burden, through French.

Did you know?

Onerous often describes a duty, task or responsibility that is difficult to carry out.

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