adj · 2 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot
Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.
Sound
Pronunciation
Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.
UK:/ˈɒnəɹəs/
UK:/ˈəʊnəɹəs/
Southern-England:Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
Southern-England:Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
US:/ˈɑnəɹəs/
US:/ˈoʊnəɹəs/
CMU ARPABET:OW1 N ER0 AH0 S
Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
1
adj
Meaning 1
Imposing or constituting a physical, mental, or figurative load which can be borne only with effort; burdensome.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
the burdensome task of preparing the income tax return
my duties weren't onerous; I only had to greet the guests
a taxing schedule
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: burdensome, taxing
Antonyms: none provided
History
Etymology
Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *h3enh2- Proto-Indo-European *-os Proto-Indo-European *h3énh2os Proto-Italic *onos Latin onus Proto-Indo-European *h3ed- Proto-Indo-European *-os Proto-Indo-European *h3édosder.? Proto-Italic *-ŏ̄dsos? Old Latin -ōssus Latin -ōsus Latin onerosuslbor. Old French onereus Middle French onereuxbor. Middle English onerous English onerous Inherited from Middle English onerous, borrowed from Middle French onereux, from Old French onereus, a learned borrowing from Latin onerosus, from onus (“burden”) + -ōsus. Compare exonerate.
Across languages
Translations
39 source translations are retained for this English entry.
