onerous

  • 1onerous — oner·ous / ä nə rəs, ō / adj 1: excessively burdensome or costly 2: involving a return benefit, compensation, or consideration an onerous donation used chiefly in the civil law of Louisiana see also onerous contract at …

    Law dictionary

  • 2onerous — onerous, burdensome, oppressive, exacting are comparable when they mean imposing severe trouble, labor, or hardships. All of these terms are applicable to a state of life, its duties or obligations, or to conditions imposed upon a person by that… …

    New Dictionary of Synonyms

  • 3onerous — [än′ər əs, ōn′ər əs] adj. [ME < MFr onereus < L onerosus < onus, a load: see ONUS] 1. burdensome; laborious 2. Law involving a legal obligation that equals or exceeds the benefits [onerous lease] onerously adv. onerousness n. SYN.… …

    English World dictionary

  • 4Onerous — On er*ous, a. [L. onerosus, fr. onus, oneris, a load, burden: cf. F. on[ e]reux.] Burdensome; oppressive. Too onerous a solicitude. I. Taylor. [1913 Webster] {Onerous cause} (Scots Law), a good and legal consideration; opposed to {gratuitous}.… …

    The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • 5onerous — (adj.) c.1400, from O.Fr. onereus, honereus (14c., Mod.Fr. onéreux), from L. onerosus, from onus (gen. oneris) burden (see ONUS (Cf. onus)) …

    Etymology dictionary

  • 6onerous — [adj] difficult; requiring hard labor arduous, austere, backbreaking, burdensome, crushing, cumbersome, demanding, difficult, distressing, embittering, exacting, excessive, exhausting, exigent, fatiguing, formidable, galling, grave, grinding,… …

    New thesaurus

  • 7onerous — ► ADJECTIVE 1) involving an oppressive amount of effort and difficulty. 2) Law involving heavy obligations. ORIGIN Latin onerosus, from onus burden …

    English terms dictionary

  • 8onerous — adjective Etymology: Middle English, from Middle French honereus, from Latin onerosus, from oner , onus burden; akin to Sanskrit anas cart Date: 14th century 1. involving, imposing, or constituting a burden ; troublesome < an onerous task > 2.&#8230; …

    New Collegiate Dictionary

  • 9onerous — /ownaras/ A contract, lease, share, or other right is said to be onerous when the obligations attaching to it unreasonably counterbalance or exceed the advantage to be derived from it, either absolutely or with reference to the particular&#8230; …

    Black's law dictionary

  • 10onerous — I (New American Roget s College Thesaurus) adj. difficult, troublesome, burdensome, wearing, oppressive. See difficulty.Ant., light, easy. II (Roget s IV) modif. Syn. oppressive, burdensome, heavy, serious, exacting, demanding, galling,&#8230; …

    English dictionary for students