ONUS Synonyms: 76 Similar and Opposite Words

onus

noun

ˈō-nəs

Definition of onus

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

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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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 onus That puts the onus on buyers and sellers to perform their own due diligence. — Bob Woods, CNBC, 10 Oct. 2026 What’s worse, the law put the onus on them to ask to be silenced. — Gretchen Carlson, New York Daily News, 2 Oct. 2026 Having Pugh playing a character who is, by her very nature, hesitant to reveal her truth is an interesting choice that puts the onus on everybody around her who doesn’t recognize what is so obvious to viewers. — Daniel Fienberg, HollywoodReporter, 1 Oct. 2026 The city is already facing an earlier lawsuit over its rollout of the tax from a group of homeowners who contend that City Hall didn't do enough to determine who would pay the tax and instead put the onus on homeowners to figure it out. — ABC News, 29 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for onus

Recent Examples of Synonyms for onus

Noun

Often, the words and language delivered to our brains come with a shine or a stain.

— Chris John Amorosino, Hartford Courant, 3 Nov. 2026
Patinkin cautions that long-wearing lipsticks and stains may dry too quickly to blend, while oily balms may not stay put on skin.

— Ashley Lynch, Kansas City Star, 3 Nov. 2026

Definition of stain

Noun

If El-Sayed loses, there will be a fight over blame between Democrats who spent tens of millions of dollars to support him and progressives who’ll argue that the party establishment can’t be trusted when leftist candidates win a nomination.

— Nicholas Wu, semafor.com, 2 Nov. 2026
But fans who looked at the All-22 video of the play weren’t ready to put all the blame on Mahomes, and that created an interesting discourse.

— Pete Grathoff, Kansas City Star, 30 Oct. 2026

Definition of blame

Noun

The goal is to erase the stigma that can be felt at food banks and by those facing food insecurity.

— Emily M. Olson, Hartford Courant, 28 Oct. 2026
If the neighborhood, family and institutions around that young person have not changed, the conditions that made violence attractive remain, and stigma can become a mechanism of re-recruitment.

— Charles Wratto, The Conversation, 27 Oct. 2026

Definition of stigma

Noun

Through imposing guilt by association and collective punishments, the North Korean state has spent decades attenuating the relationships through which private anger might be converted into collective action.

— Jieun Baek, Foreign Affairs, 30 Oct. 2026
But the main focus is Sanaa’s relationship with her late father and her guilt over how she may be connected to his crimes.

— Oline H. Cogdill, Sun Sentinel, 28 Oct. 2026

Definition of guilt

Noun

The company has previously harvested grapes that could not be made into wine following wildfire smoke-taint, including from Cates’ own vineyard.

— Lizzie Kane, Sacbee.com, 16 Oct. 2026
Even though Thiam denied knowledge of it and was cleared of involvement, the taint of the scandal led to his ouster.

— Encyclopedia Britannica, Encyclopedia Britannica, 13 Aug. 2026

Definition of taint

Noun

Any guilt or shame that comes from this evaluation can spill over into what foods are served freely at home and which are restricted.

— Bryn Beeder, The Conversation, 1 Nov. 2026
Over the decades, Ernaux has examined class shame through close observation of her parents’ lives, accounted for all-consuming romantic obsession, and transcribed fleeting encounters in supermarkets and trains in the Paris suburbs.

— Jasmine Vojdani, Vulture, 27 Oct. 2026

Definition of shame

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“Onus.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/onus. Accessed 5 Nov. 2026.

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Synonyms of onus

noun

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