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Burdensome vs. onerous: what’s the difference?

The short answer

While burdensome typically emphasizes the emotional or physical weight or stress of a task, onerous often highlights the legal or formal obligations that make a task difficult.

What they have in common

Both burdensome and onerous describe something that involves a lot of effort and difficulty, often causing stress or inconvenience.

Examples

burdensome

  • The long commute became burdensome after a few months.
  • Taking care of the large estate was burdensome for the family.
  • Her responsibilities at work were becoming increasingly burdensome.

onerous

  • The contract had onerous terms that were difficult to fulfill.
  • Managing the legal requirements was an onerous task.
  • The government regulations were considered onerous by the small business.

Which one is more common?

Internet search results for “burdensome” and “onerous”

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