onus
Americannoun
plural
onuses-
a difficult or disagreeable obligation, task, burden, etc.
- Synonyms:
- load, duty, weight, responsibility
-
burden of proof.
-
blame or responsibility.
noun
Etymology
Origin of onus
1630–40; < Latin: load, burden
Explanation
Take the noun, onus, as a formal word for responsibility or obligation. If your teacher assigns onus as a vocabulary word, it puts the onus on you to find out what it means. Onus is a formal or sophisticated way to say "responsibility" or "duty." It sounds a little like the unrelated word owner, so think about the person with onus as owner of the responsibility. If the onus is on you to organize a fund raiser, you have to set the whole thing up. Have you ever heard the legal term onus probandi? It means the burden of proof, which requires the accuser to prove the case against the accused.
Vocabulary lists containing onus
100 SAT words Beginning with "O"
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The Freedom Writers Diary
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Lifting as We Climb
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Onus is on the people’s movements, whose slowly growing political power must change the terms of the conversation about starvation.
From Salon • Sep. 8, 2018
Part of the problem is geography, explains Rob Onus, the head emergency coordinator for Médecins Sans Frontières, a medical charity which now has around 1,000 people working in southern Bangladesh.
From Economist • Oct. 19, 2017
Onus now on Sky and BT Sport to do the right thing and leave the games on Saturday.
From BBC • Jun. 20, 2013
The Onus on Cyclists and Drivers David V. Herlihy, author, “Bicycle: The History” In the 1890s, we had a preview of the risks of urban cycling.
From New York Times • Feb. 27, 2012
"Onus probandi semper privato incumbit!" said the recorder.
From The Village Notary by E?tv?s, J?zsef
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
