accountability
Americannoun
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the state of being accountable, liable, or answerable.
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Education. a policy of holding schools and teachers accountable for students' academic progress by linking such progress with funding for salaries, maintenance, etc.
Usage
What does accountability mean? Accountability is the obligation to explain, justify, and take responsibility for one's actions.Accountability is the state of being accountable, meaning responsible for something or obligated to answer to someone, such as a person with more authority, like a boss.The word accountability is often used in the context of individuals, especially in the term personal accountability. It is also commonly used in the context of institutions or people that are responsible to the public, such as the government, its agencies, politicians, and the media. Accountability is often discussed with transparency and consequences. This typically involves keeping people and organizations accountable by making their actions visible and having consequences when those actions are not acceptable.Example: The system of checks and balances is intended to ensure accountability among the different branches of government.
Other Word Forms
- nonaccountability noun
Etymology
Origin of accountability
First recorded in 1785–95; account(able) + -ability
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Recognition alone is not enough; the state must also take responsibility for the harm it caused and ensure transparency, accountability, and reparative action.
From Slate • Mar. 30, 2026
Adams pointed to social media platforms like X as evidence that machines “can easily short circuit our sense of human accountability and responsibility.”
From Salon • Mar. 30, 2026
Like all thriving bureaucracies, the IMF is constantly in search of more resources and reduced accountability.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 29, 2026
But the latest allegations against Chávez are going to require more accountability and reassessment.
From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 27, 2026
Much of what I observe in Volpe’s theater program fits comfortably within the muscular language of education reform, with its emphasis on problem solving, high standards, “reaching for the top,” and accountability.
From "Drama High" by Michael Sokolove
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
