Burdensome

Part of speech: adjective

Pronunciation: /ˈbɜː.dən.səm/

Definitions

1. Causing difficulty, worry, or hard work; oppressive or troublesome to deal with
2. Involving a considerable amount of effort or strain
3. Imposing a heavy load that is hard to manage or tolerate

Etymology: "Burdensome" is a simple compound built from two English parts. The first, "burden," goes back to Old English "byrthen," a noun for something carried, and it shares its root with "bear" in the sense of carrying a load. The second part, "-some," is an old English suffix meaning "having a certain quality or tendency," as in "handsome," "wholesome," or "lonesome." Put together, "burdensome" describes something full of burden, something that has the quality of weighing heavily on you. The suffix is the more interesting half here. "-some" was once a fully productive word-forming element, so English speakers could attach it to almost any noun or adjective to create a new description. Many of those formations, like "burdensome," have stayed in the language, while others have faded out of use.

Synonyms: onerous, heavy, cumbersome, difficult, taxing

Antonyms: easy, light, unburdened, simple, facile