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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of onus
But Blondie’s followers pointed out that this wasn’t her fault, noting that the onus is on residents to be responsible bear neighbors, sealing crawl spaces and trash cans to help prevent bears from developing a reliance on humans.
—
Clara Harter, Los Angeles Times, 13 May 2026
At any rate, the laws put the onus on the parents to comply and correctly calculate their children’s earnings, with little to no outside enforcement.
—Kristen Martin, The Atlantic, 13 May 2026
Thus, the onus will be on the Ducks – a team, remember, with lots of players with minimal playoff experience – to flush this one quickly and attack Sunday’s game with their own desperation.
—Jim Alexander, Oc Register, 9 May 2026
Part of the onus is on the offensive line to give Underwood a clean pocket.
—Austin Meek, New York Times, 1 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for onus
Clara Harter, Los Angeles Times, 13 May 2026
At any rate, the laws put the onus on the parents to comply and correctly calculate their children’s earnings, with little to no outside enforcement.
—Kristen Martin, The Atlantic, 13 May 2026
Thus, the onus will be on the Ducks – a team, remember, with lots of players with minimal playoff experience – to flush this one quickly and attack Sunday’s game with their own desperation.
—Jim Alexander, Oc Register, 9 May 2026
Part of the onus is on the offensive line to give Underwood a clean pocket.
—Austin Meek, New York Times, 1 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for onus
Recent Examples of Synonyms for onus
Noun
-
There are so many different stain colors on the market.—
Tessa Cooper,
The Spruce,
13 May 2026
-
Will homemade detergent work on tough stains?—
Ryan Brennan
May 13,
Miami Herald,
13 May 2026
Noun
-
Most accounts of the era blame greed—a new ethic of cupidity that displaced whatever youthful idealism remained from the 1960s.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
15 May 2026
-
Silina cast blame on Defense Minister Andris Spruds and fired him on Sunday.—
Brady Knox,
The Washington Examiner,
15 May 2026
Noun
-
When Azik tries to rid himself of the stigma, calling someone else weak as if to offload the physical weight of the insult, a startling act of violence occurs.—
David Rooney,
HollywoodReporter,
13 May 2026
-
The condition will now be called polyendocrine metabolic ovarian syndrome (PMOS)—the group hopes the new diagnosis will be more accurate, reduce stigma and bolster research.—
Claire Cameron,
Scientific American,
12 May 2026
Noun
-
Mayhew told me that he was still haunted by guilt.—
Yudhijit Bhattacharjee,
New Yorker,
18 May 2026
-
By Roger Cohen The guilt of my teenage conviction haunted me for decades.—
Chris Pomorski Roger Cohen Reginald Dwayne Betts David Marchese David Wallace-Wells Parul Sehgal Nitsuh Abebe Kim Hew-Low Kwame Anthony Appiah John Hodgman,
New York Times,
17 May 2026
Noun
-
The good news is that the gala survived its Bezos taint.—
Culture Critic,
Los Angeles Times,
5 May 2026
-
There’s a purity here, the course free from the taint of bureaucracy governing so much of the academy.—
Peter Wayne Moe,
Longreads,
26 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
There were risks, but he was not considered to have multiple blots on his record.—
Beren Cross,
New York Times,
17 May 2026
-
Add a few drops of mild detergent to warm water and blot the stain with a microfiber cloth rather than scrubbing it.—
Ryan Brennan,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
14 May 2026
Noun
-
Bryna Laub, editor of Daytime Serial Newsletter, felt the show besmirched the sanctity of soaps and contributed to the broader currents of shame surrounding the genre.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
18 May 2026
-
There’s no shame in the aging game, though.—
Madeleine Marr,
Miami Herald,
18 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Onus.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/onus. Accessed 20 May. 2026.
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