responsibility

American  

[ri-spon-suh-bil-i-tee] / rɪˌspɒn səˈbɪl ɪ ti /

noun

plural

responsibilities

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

   Synonyms:

   accountability, answerability

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.

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idioms

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

   He changed the order on his own responsibility.

responsibility British  

/ 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

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Other Word Forms

• nonresponsibility noun
• preresponsibility noun
• self-responsibility noun
• superresponsibility noun

Etymology

Origin of responsibility

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

Example Sentences

"This is for environmental protection. It's a social responsibility."

From Barron's

"We have serious concerns about a driver who has any responsibilities behind the wheel engaging in texting," says Cathy Chase, president of the Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety.

From BBC

You feel a certain responsibility, especially with scenes like that.

From Los Angeles Times

“I think we have to have this sense of responsibility about the timelines we are talking about, the adoption timelines,” said Nicolaus Radford, CEO of Persona AI, in a keynote address at the summit.

From The Wall Street Journal

The law deems them res nullius, which literally means a thing belonging to nobody - so responsibility falls to individual landowners.

From BBC

Related Words

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