ONSET Synonyms: 123 Similar and Opposite Words

onset

noun

ˈȯn-ˌset

Definition of onset

as in attack

the act or action of setting upon with force or violence the walls withstood the onset of the first battalion

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in beginning

the point at which something begins the claim that if you take enough vitamin C at the onset of a cold, you'll often recover faster

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of onset Authorities warned against hiking this route this time of year due to deteriorating conditions and the onset of winter weather. — Tony Briscoe, Los Angeles Times, 17 Oct. 2026 At the onset, Marianne is 19, Elinor is 16 and Margaret is 13. — Mya Copeland, Variety, 17 Oct. 2026 The leaner dogs also had delayed onset of chronic disease and less severe osteoarthritis. — Hanna Wickes, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 16 Oct. 2026 The owner of one of the largest natural gas providers in Russia not managed by the state, Mikhelson became one the first individuals to be sanctioned in the UK shortly after the war’s onset. — Alex Greenberger, ARTnews.com, 16 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for onset

Recent Examples of Synonyms for onset

Noun

On three separate occasions in the past week, Ukraine didn’t receive early warnings about missile attacks.

— Claire Carter, The Washington Examiner, 21 Oct. 2026
OpenCode had been running its defense with an OpenAI model, which started to refuse its requests in the middle of the attack.

— Emily Forlini, Fortune, 21 Oct. 2026

Definition of attack

Noun

Expect some traffic back-ups at the beginning and end of the game as parking lots empty and drivers hit the road in what is a construction zone on highways running through downtown.

— Miami Herald Archives, Miami Herald, 20 Oct. 2026
Advertisement At the beginning of May, separatists turned in a petition with hundreds of thousands of signatures to push for a vote on leaving Canada, while opponents collected signatures in support of staying.

— Chantelle Lee, Time, 20 Oct. 2026

Definition of beginning

Noun

Lula seized on these acts as meddling in the campaign, and as an assault on Brazilian sovereignty encouraged by the Bolsonaro family.

— Ishaan Tharoor, New Yorker, 21 Oct. 2026
All this was happening with a coincident and successful assault of affirmative action in higher education.

— Kamau Bobb October 21, Literary Hub, 21 Oct. 2026

Definition of assault

Noun

Organisms not resistant to this onslaught—anything from microbes and crops to whales and humans—would experience an almost violently severe sunburn.

— Robin George Andrews, Scientific American, 20 Oct. 2026
Florida Democratic Senate candidate Angie Nixon and independent progressive Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders countered the recent onslaught of campaign advertisements against her in a double-header rally in Gainesville Sunday.

— Claire Heddles, Miami Herald, 19 Oct. 2026

Definition of onslaught

Noun

Five dolphins died in less than eight months, sparking public outrage, raids by law enforcement and a criminal investigation.

— Valerie Greene, The Orlando Sentinel, 22 Oct. 2026
This housing raid would put roughly 150,000 homes under the government’s control — about seven percent of Berlin’s housing supply — in what would no doubt be a doomed effort to curb rising rents.

— Editorial Board, Washington Post, 22 Oct. 2026

Definition of raid

Browse Nearby Words

onrushes

onset

onsets

See all Nearby Words

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Style

“Onset.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/onset. Accessed 24 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of onset

noun

Example Sentences

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