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
-
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.
“Anyone who comes to New York City to bring violence to our street will be held accountable in accordance with the law,” Mamdani said.
No one has been held accountable for the deaths as yet.
From Barron's
The pact does not directly address complaints of unhappy policyholders who say Lara’s administration has failed to hold State Farm accountable, which the insurance department has disputed.
From Los Angeles Times
“Because these perpetrators were held accountable, it would be nearly impossible for a political crime of this level to happen again,” I remember our teacher telling the class.
From Salon
“It is time for the State of California to use its legal and moral authority to inspect private detention facilities, hold bad actors accountable and close facilities with consistent, documented cases of human rights abuses.”
From Los Angeles Times
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.
