onus

[ oh-nuhs ]

/ ˈoʊ nəs /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR onus ON THESAURUS.COM

noun, plural o·nus·es.

a difficult or disagreeable obligation, task, burden, etc.

burden of proof.Compare onus probandi.

blame or responsibility.

Nearby words

ontological argument, ontologism, ontologize, ontology, onuf's nucleus, onus, onus probandi, onward, onwards, ony, onychalgia

Origin of onus

1630–40; < Latin: load, burden

SYNONYMS FOR onus

1 responsibility, weight, duty, load.

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR onus ON THESAURUS.COM

Definition for onus (2 of 2)

onus probandi

[ oh-noo s proh-bahn-dee; English oh-nuh s proh-ban-dahy, -dee ]

/ ˈoʊ nʊs proʊˈbɑn di; English ˈoʊ nəs proʊˈbæn daɪ, -di /

noun Latin.

the burden of proof.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for onus

However, Gold put the onus on herself and other more established women.
These Women Are Labias-to-the-Wall Funny|Emily Shire|November 7, 2014|DAILY BEAST
UNO puts such an onus on smoking students that it ultimately seems like a bully, even more than a nanny.
The University Of New Orleans’ Cigarette Ban Is Total BS|Chloé Valdary|October 21, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Asked about funding public libraries, Osborne put the onus of responsibility on local councils.
Why 7 Times 8 Tripped Up the UK Chancellor|Tim Teeman|July 4, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The onus is on one man to hold this wacky goulash of punditry together: Mike Tirico.
World Cup Anchor Mike Tirico’s Bizarre History: Reports of Stalking and Sexual Harassment|Marlow Stern|July 1, 2014|DAILY BEAST

Trying to put the onus onto someone else for your own decisions is really cowardly and kind of dishonest.
Speed Read: Terry Richardson on Sex, Lies, and Lindsay Lohan|Justin Jones|June 16, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The onus is on them to show that the dividends have been paid out of profits.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 6, Slice 7|Various
The history-making blessed event was an honor and an onus to Captain Spooner and his young wife.
The Test Colony|Winston Marks
It threw upon the Senate the onus of repairing the defects of the bill.
The Story of the Great War, Volume VI (of VIII)|Various
The onus of this wretched failure Leichhardt tried to cast upon his companions, upon whom he made many unjust aspersions.
The Explorers of Australia and their Life-work|Ernest Favenc
The onus lay on him to prove that he innocently uttered, having been deceived by others.
Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine, Volume 69, No. 427, May, 1851|Various

British Dictionary definitions for onus (1 of 2)

onus

/ (ˈəʊnəs) /

noun plural onuses

a responsibility, task, or burden

Word Origin for onus

C17: from Latin: burden

British Dictionary definitions for onus (2 of 2)

onus probandi

/ (ˈəʊnəs prəʊˈbændɪ) /

noun

law the Latin phrase for burden of proof

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012