burdensome

adjective

bur·​den·​some ˈbər-dᵊn-səm 

: imposing or constituting a burden : oppressive

burdensome restrictions

Synonyms

• bitter
• brutal
• cruel
• excruciating
• grievous
• grim
• hard
• hardhanded
• harsh
• heavy
• inhuman
• murderous
• onerous
• oppressive
• rough
• rugged
• searing
• severe
• stiff
• tough
• trying

Choose the Right Synonym for burdensome

onerous, burdensome, oppressive, exacting mean imposing hardship.

onerous stresses being laborious and heavy especially because distasteful.

the onerous task of cleaning up the mess

burdensome suggests causing mental as well as physical strain.

burdensome responsibilities

oppressive implies extreme harshness or severity in what is imposed.

the oppressive tyranny of a police state

exacting implies rigor or sternness rather than tyranny or injustice in the demands made or in the one demanding.

an exacting employer

Examples of burdensome in a Sentence

The responsibility has become burdensome.

the burdensome living conditions that the early settlers had to endure

Recent Examples on the Web

Many of these activities are burdensome and restrictive. —Spencer Dorn, Forbes, 17 Jan. 2025

But on Wednesday, Barrett was not the only justice who seemed to agree with Texas that age verification technology has become less burdensome while content filtering has proven to be ineffective. —Maureen Groppe, USA TODAY, 15 Jan. 2025

Unless Root Causes Dealt With Southern Border Immigrants Face DNA Tests Under New Bill Barrett also said it's been 20 years since the Court ruled in a comparable case, Ashcroft v. American Civil Liberties Union, which found a law similarly requiring age verification was burdensome. —Michael Gfoeller and David H. Rundell, Newsweek, 15 Jan. 2025

The decision instead put the onus on parents and technology companies to utilize less burdensome content-filtering software. —Devin Dwyer, ABC News, 15 Jan. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1578, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

burdensome

adjective

bur·​den·​some ˈbərd-ᵊn-səm 

: so heavy or hard to take as to be a burden

burdensomeness noun