Of or like a burden; onerous.
burdensomely bur'den·some·ly adv.burdensomeness bur'den·some·ness n.
SYNONYMS burdensome, onerous, oppressive, arduous, demanding, rigorous, exacting. These adjectives apply to what imposes a severe test of bodily or spiritual strength. Burdensome is associated with both mental and physical hardship: The burdensome task of preparing her tax return awaited her. Onerous connotes the figuratively heavy load imposed by something irksome or annoying: My only onerous duty was having to greet the guests. Something oppressive weighs one down in body or spirit: "Old forms of government finally grow so oppressive that they must be thrown off" (Herbert Spencer). Arduous emphasizes the expenditure of sustained and often exhausting labor: Becoming a doctor is an arduous undertaking. Demanding, rigorous, and exacting imply the imposition of severe and uncompromising demands: Music is a demanding art. "Yet out of this unflattering, rigorous realism . . . Swift made great art" (M.D. Aeschliman). Archaeology is exacting work.
