onerous

onerous — 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

onerous — 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

onerous — [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

Onerous — 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

onerous — (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

onerous — [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

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

onerous — 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.… …   New Collegiate Dictionary

onerous — /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… …   Black's law dictionary

onerous — 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,… …   English dictionary for students

onerous — adjective formal work or responsibility that is onerous is difficult and worrying or makes you tired: an onerous task | onerous duties onerously adverb onerousness noun (U) …   Longman dictionary of contemporary English