accountable
Americanadjective
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subject to the obligation to report, explain, or justify something; responsible; answerable.
-
capable of being explained; explicable; explainable.
adjective
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responsible to someone or for some action; answerable
-
able to be explained
Usage
What does accountable mean? Accountable means obligated to explain, justify, and take responsibility for one's actions, and to answer to someone, such as a person with more authority.The state of being accountable is accountability.The word accountable is often used in the context of individuals taking responsibility for their actions. It’s 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.Accountable is often used with the verb hold, as in We need to hold him accountable for his actions. Example: The system of checks and balances is intended to keep the different branches of government accountable.
Other Word Forms
- accountability noun
- accountableness noun
- accountably adverb
- nonaccountable adjective
Etymology
Origin of accountable
First recorded in 1375–1425; late Middle English; account + -able
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.
It will also put perpetrators on notice that they could be held accountable.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 1, 2026
For years, efforts to hold social-media companies accountable ran into Section 230 of the 1996 Communications Decency Act, which shields platforms from liability for content posted by users.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 1, 2026
Can we hold the human that coded the agent accountable for things that the agent might do autonomously?
From Slate • Apr. 1, 2026
She said local authorities should be held accountable for carer assessments.
From BBC • Mar. 31, 2026
I told her that was fine, but I couldn’t be held accountable for vomiting on her new dress.
From "The Kite Runner" by Khaled Hosseini
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.
