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: 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.

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

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

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

When the Co-op supermarket chain was hit, the same group of hackers claimed responsibility.

From BBC

Yes, there are still certain times in a game where you are conceding chances and you are under pressure, where you might take responsibility yourself and just run back.

From BBC

"She feels she needs to be there and has a responsibility to be there until the procedure is completely over," her lawyer, Stéphane Babonneau, explained to me.

From BBC

"We're the only party that gets it. The only party that will stand up for fiscal responsibility."

From BBC

Martin - who has five victories in 17 games across all competitions - accepted responsibility for the latest poor performance at third-bottom Falkirk and said there were "no excuses".

From BBC

Related Words

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