responsibility

[ ri-spon-suh-bil-i-tee ]

noun

plural responsibilities.

1. the state or fact of being responsible, answerable, or accountable for something within one's power, control, or management.

   Synonyms: answerability, accountability

2. an instance of being responsible:

   The responsibility for this mess is yours!

3. a particular burden of obligation upon one who is responsible:

   the responsibilities of authority.

4. a person or thing for which one is responsible:

   A child is a responsibility to their parents.

5. reliability or dependability, especially in meeting debts or payments.

responsibility

/ rɪˌspɒnsəˈbɪlɪtɪ /

noun

1. the state or position of being responsible
2. a person or thing for which one is responsible
3. the ability or authority to act or decide on one's own, without supervision

Other Word Forms

• non·re·spon·si·bil·i·ty noun plural nonresponsibilities
• pre·re·spon·si·bil·i·ty noun plural preresponsibilities
• self-re·spon·si·bil·i·ty noun
• su·per·re·spon·si·bil·i·ty noun plural superresponsibilities

Word History and Origins

Origin of responsibility¹

First recorded in 1780–90; respons(ible) + -ibility

Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

1. on one's own responsibility, on one's own initiative or authority:

   He changed the order on his own responsibility.

Example Sentences

Yet greatness in the NBA comes with more responsibility than counting stats, and Reaves is starting to fully embrace that part of the job.

From Los Angeles Times

"We have a responsibility to advocate for safety and fairness at every level in the sporting system, from grassroots to elite," the spokesperson added.

From BBC

Will, who works for an environmental nonprofit, argues that humans won’t be able to recycle their way out of the crisis and that harping on personal responsibility only lets corporate perpetrators off the hook.

From Los Angeles Times

After The Times raised questions about those transactions, the outside consultant that handled LACAHSA’s CEO search said it did not research individual deals, which it said was beyond the scope of its responsibilities.

From Los Angeles Times

European football's governing body provides clubs with the relevant anthems but it is the responsibility of clubs to play them.

From BBC

Related Words

• authority
• burden
• duty
• guilt
• importance
• liability
• obligation
• power
• restraint
• trust