onus

noun

ˈō-nəs 

1

[Latin — more at onerous]

a

: burden entry 1

b

: a disagreeable necessity : obligation

c

: blame

d

: stigma

2

[New Latin onus (probandi), literally, burden of proving] : burden of proof

put forth a theory that left the onus squarely on him

Did you know?

Understanding the etymology of onus shouldn’t be a burden; it’s as simple as knowing that English borrowed the word—spelling, meaning, and all—from Latin in the 17th century. Onus is also a distant relative of the Sanskrit word anas, meaning cart (as in, a wheeled wagon or vehicle that carries a burden). English isn’t exactly loaded with words that come from Latin onus, but onerous (“difficult and unpleasant to do or deal with”) is one, which is fitting since in addition to being synonymous with “burden,” onus has also long been used to refer to obligations and responsibilities that one may find annoying, taxing, disagreeable, or distasteful.

Synonyms

• blot
• brand
• slur
• smirch
• smudge
• spot
• stain
• stigma
• taint

Examples of onus in a Sentence

Consumers should be able to limit the use of information beyond what's essential to complete a transaction. There are two principal ways to do this: Web sites can permit them to "opt in," or explicitly grant advance permission to share information. Or they can put the onus on consumers to "opt out" if they don't want information shared. —Consumer Reports, May 2000

These laws got the regulatory ball rolling, but the onus was on the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to ensure that additives were safe. —Amy Rosenbaum Clark, Vegetarian Times, March 1995

It is not the scions of Yale and Harvard who apply to become FBI agents and construction workers and civil servants and cops who bear the onus of this reverse discrimination. —Thomas B. Edsall, Washington Post, 9-15 Mar. 1992

hoping to avoid the onus of failure by lowering expectations ahead of time

he perpetually tries to shift the onus for any mistakes onto other team members

Recent Examples on the Web

All these recommendations put the onus on individual women to fight the system without calling out the inequality built into and reinforced by the system itself. —Melissa A. Wheeler, Forbes, 27 Feb. 2024

The first on the list is a heat illness prevention bill (HB 945) that requires annual training and education material on heat illness with the onus on employers. —Ashley Miznazi, Miami Herald, 26 Jan. 2024

The onus is now on Erver to accelerate H&M’s turnaround as the company struggles to reduce stubbornly high inventory and reach double-digit margins by the end of the year. —Jonas Ekblom, Fortune Europe, 27 Mar. 2024

While the onus is surely not on any one woman to single-handedly upend a generations-long gap between work output and fair compensation, there are some ways of evening the playing field. —Jane Thier, Fortune, 26 Mar. 2024

The Biden Administration, which has been pushing more forcefully in recent days for an immediate cease-fire, has put the onus on Hamas. —Thomas Fuller, New York Times, 5 Mar. 2024

With two league matches before the second leg away in Spain, the onus is on Kvaratskhelia to dominate against Juventus and Torino to persuade De Laurentiis to wrap up a deal sooner rather than later. —David Ferrini, Forbes, 28 Feb. 2024

Unlike people who get their water from public water systems, which are required to test regularly for contaminants and take action if contaminant levels are too high, the onus is on private well owners to make sure their water is safe to drink. —Journal Sentinel, 24 Jan. 2024

People tend to put a lot more onus and responsibility on a platform for its output. —Lauren Goode, WIRED, 23 Feb. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1626, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

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