Make Your Point > Archived Issues > ONUS

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pronounce ONUS: Say it "OH nuss." It rhymes with "bonus." To hear it, click here. connect this word to others: Do you guys play the lotto? Do you enter sweepstakes? Do you call in to the radio, trying to win the free tickets? I don't, because if I won, I couldn't bear the onus of gratitude. That burden, that obligation to show thanks, that responsibility to somehow repay what was given. An onus is a serious burden, duty, obligation, or responsibility. "Onus" is a noun, as you can tell, and it's rarer than its adjective form, on____s, which we checked out before. Can you recall how to spell and pronounce it? If not, don't worry--we'll go over it in just a moment. (To reveal any word with blanks, give it a click.) definition: "Onus" comes straight from Latin, where it means "a burden, or a duty." That's the meaning in English, too. An onus is a burden, a duty, a serious responsibility, or a troubling concern. In other words, if the onus is on you, that means the heavy burden or serious responsibility is all on you--and not the other people involved in the situation. grammatical bits: Part of speech: noun, the countable kind: "this puts the onus on them to do it," "she took the onus off me," "the person making the claim bears the onus of proof." Other forms: The plural is "onuses," but you probably won't need it. The adjective is "onerous," pronounced "ON er us." The adverb: "onerously." And the noun: "onerousness." how to use it: This word is serious and formal. Use it to draw extra attention to the fact that some person or group in particular--and not other people involved--is the one who must act, or be responsible, or deal with a problem, or provide proof or evidence. Talk about the onus being on someone, often to do something. "The onus is on the manufacturers to report what ingredients are in their products." "The onus is on the consumers to know what they're buying." "The onus is on the employer to provide an accurate job description and contract--and the onus is on the employee to read them." Often we talk about putting or placing the onus on someone, removing or lifting the onus from someone, or moving or shifting the onus from someone to someone else. And often, especially in legal contexts, we talk about the onus of proof. Or in fancier, more Latin terms, the onus probandi. "In the US, where you're presumed innocent until proven guilty, the onus probandi lies with the prosecutors." examples: "The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is not required to approve or review the safety of cosmetic products and ingredients... In 2018, for instance, the FDA issued a warning about hair smoothing products containing formaldehyde, but was powerless to recall or ban them. The beauty industry says the onus should be on consumers, not manufacturers."    — Nina Lakhani, The Guardian, 9 January 2020 "Somewhere I had heard that it’s best to put your goals into clear terms, straightforward terms, and that once those goals had been thus stated all would follow accordingly. In the rare instance that things did not follow accordingly, the onus was, of course, on you and your own ineptitude."    — Saïd Sayrafiezadeh, "Appetite," The New Yorker, 22 February 2010 has this page helped you understand "onus"? Awesome, I'm glad it helped! Thanks for letting me know! If you have any questions about this word, please message me at Liesl@HiloTutor.com. study it: Explain the meaning of "onus" without saying "heavy load" or "major obligation." try it out: In an interview with The New Yorker, Niraja Gopal Jayal spoke about the Citizenship Amendment Act in India: "The National Register actually starts with the assumption that all of us, 1.3 billion of us, have to prove that we are citizens. The onus of proving that you're a citizen lies upon you, and the assumption is that, until proven, you are not a citizen... Not everyone even today has a birth certificate, unless you're born in a good hospital in a city."  Talk about what she means. What is the onus here? What makes this onus such a serious, difficult burden? Should this onus be shifted or removed? Why or why not? Could you think of another example of an onus many people bear in your own country? If you like, use this space to write. (To save your work, copy and paste it into an email or a document.) before you review, play: Try to spend 20 seconds or more on the game below. Don’t skip straight to the review—first, let your working memory empty out. Our game this month is Lightning Rhyming Recall! In each issue this month, see how fast you can recall three words. They’re unrelated in meaning--probably--but they rhyme. To check your answers, scroll to the bottom of the issue. We’ll start out easy and ramp up the difficulty as the month goes on. Enjoy! Each word below rhymes with CALAMITY: A. (3 syllables, noun) Nations who get along well are maintaining… B. (3 syllables, noun) A deep feeling of dislike or hatred that's often reciprocated is… C. (5 syllables, noun) When everyone in a group agrees, that's… review this word: 1. A near opposite of ONUS is A. ACME (a high point). B. BOON (a blessing or benefit). C. CAVIL (a petty, annoying complaint). 2. Ann France wrote that some people "welcome _____ as a means of lessening the onus of gratitude." A. a fee B. an assistant C. a gift receipt Answers to game questions: A. AMITY B. ENMITY C. UNANIMITY Answers to review questions: 1. B 2. A a final word: I hope you're enjoying Make Your Point. It's made with love. I'm Liesl Johnson, a reading and writing tutor on a mission to explore, illuminate, and celebrate words. From my blog:    36 ways to study words.    Why we forget words, & how to remember them.    How to use sophisticated words without being awkward. To be a sponsor and include your ad in an issue, please contact me at Liesl@HiloTutor.com. Disclaimer: When I write definitions, I use plain language and stick to the words' common, useful applications. If you're interested in authoritative and multiple definitions of words, I encourage you to check a dictionary. Also, because I'm American, I stick to American English when I share words' meanings, usage, and pronunciations; these elements sometimes vary across world Englishes.