1
as in stain
a mark of guilt or disgrace
hoping to avoid the onus of failure by lowering expectations ahead of time
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in blame
responsibility for wrongdoing or failure
he perpetually tries to shift the onus for any mistakes onto other team members
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of onus
The ideal situation would be for Charlotte to put the onus on him.
—
Joyce Carol Oates, The New Yorker, 16 Mar. 2025
Google is pushing back against other major technology companies’ efforts to put the responsibility of age verification on the app stores, arguing the onus is on both the stores and developers to boost children’s safety.
—Miranda Nazzaro, The Hill, 13 Mar. 2025
Zoom in: Utah last week became the first state to pass an age verification law that requires parental consent for app store downloads and puts the onus on Apple and Google.
—Maria Curi, Axios, 11 Mar. 2025
Hezbollah has put the onus on the Lebanese state to ensure Israel’s withdrawal.
—Reuters, NBC News, 26 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for onus
Joyce Carol Oates, The New Yorker, 16 Mar. 2025
Google is pushing back against other major technology companies’ efforts to put the responsibility of age verification on the app stores, arguing the onus is on both the stores and developers to boost children’s safety.
—Miranda Nazzaro, The Hill, 13 Mar. 2025
Zoom in: Utah last week became the first state to pass an age verification law that requires parental consent for app store downloads and puts the onus on Apple and Google.
—Maria Curi, Axios, 11 Mar. 2025
Hezbollah has put the onus on the Lebanese state to ensure Israel’s withdrawal.
—Reuters, NBC News, 26 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for onus
Recent Examples of Synonyms for onus
Noun
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In the names of Jackie Robinson and the O’Malley family, don’t put a stain on one of the greatest Dodgers championships ever.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
5 Apr. 2025
-
One shopper even spilled cranberry juice on theirs with no residual stains.—
Shea Simmons,
Southern Living,
5 Apr. 2025
Noun
-
In their rush to manage expectations on Tuesday, Republicans have placed the blame squarely on Fine, with some questioning his effectiveness as a candidate.—
Samantha-Jo Roth,
The Washington Examiner,
1 Apr. 2025
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Trump and his allies have also pinned some of the blame for the war on Zelensky, and just last month Trump himself was attacking Zelensky’s legitimacy because elections have been paused amid the war.—
Laura Kelly,
The Hill,
31 Mar. 2025
Noun
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Companies that are adopting this are showing an appetite to reduce stigma and bias, which could also be representative of a more inclusive culture.—
Expert Panel®,
Forbes.com,
28 Mar. 2025
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Thirty years into the African epidemic, the stigma is still as strong.—
Stephanie Nolen,
New York Times,
27 Mar. 2025
Noun
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His act of sacrifice was a culmination of his guilt over not doing enough to help June before.—
Abigail Lee,
Variety,
8 Apr. 2025
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Woman Cuts Off Sister Following Fight Over $60,000 Inheritance from Their Dad — Who's Still Alive Most Redditors agreed that the woman should keep her legal share of the money — and not feel the slightest bit of guilt about it.—
Toria Sheffield,
People.com,
6 Apr. 2025
Noun
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Catholicism offers ritual without the tedium of rationality; anarchism offers revolutionary action against inequality without the taint of materialism, the prospect of personal gain.—
Adam Gopnik,
The New Yorker,
24 Feb. 2025
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Driving the news: Researchers from Oregon State sent a bunch of Oregon pinot — some with smoke taint, some smoke-free — over to New Zealand for a taste test.—
Kale Williams,
Axios,
12 Feb. 2025
Noun
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People have long claimed to see images in those drip paintings, but the phenomenon is usually dismissed by art critics as a trick of human perception, much like the fractal edges of Rorschach ink blots can fool the eye and mind.—
Ars Technica,
Ars Technica,
28 Feb. 2025
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Even in victory, there had to be a blot in the Leeds copybook.—
Beren Cross,
The Athletic,
16 Mar. 2025
Noun
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Doing nothing is no longer an option for schools, teen says Around the country, as cases like Mani's continue to pop up, experts expect that shame prevents most victims from coming forward to flag abuses, suspecting that the problem is much more widespread than media reports suggest.—
ArsTechnica,
ArsTechnica,
4 Apr. 2025
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Moreover, the term body count itself carries a strong undercurrent of shame, particularly toward women.—
Mark Travers,
Forbes.com,
4 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Onus.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/onus. Accessed 16 Apr. 2025.
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