answerable

American  

[an-ser-uh-buhl, ahn-] / ˈæn sər ə bəl, ˈɑn- /

adjective

1. liable to be asked to give account; responsible.

   He is answerable to a committee for all his decisions.

2. capable of being answered.

   a question answerable by mail.

3. proportionate; correlative (usually followed byto ).

4. corresponding; suitable (usually followed byto ).

   The amount is not answerable to my needs.

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answerable British  

/ ˈɑːnsərəbəl /

adjective

1. (postpositive; foll by for or to) responsible or accountable

   answerable for someone's safety

   answerable to one's boss

2. able to be answered

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Other Word Forms

• answerability noun
• answerableness noun
• answerably adverb

Etymology

Origin of answerable

First recorded in 1540–50; answer + -able

Example Sentences

They had put their lives on the line to create a democratic republic, answerable to the people and not a king.

From Salon

"It's like a shadow army within the army which is only answerable to the president and his son. Its rise and influence is causing resentment among senior generals," one military source told the BBC.

From BBC

It also meant that Buckingham Palace stopped being answerable for his behaviour.

From BBC

The commissioner would be in charge of ensuring standards of care for victims and would answerable to parliament.

From BBC

Breyer left no stone unturned in detailing the president’s lawless deployment of troops and his plan to turn the military into a national police force answerable only to him.

From Salon

Related Words

• accountable
• amenable
• liable
• obligated
• obliged