responsibly

American  

[ri-spahns-uhb-lee] / rɪˈspɑns əb li /

adverb

1. in a sensible, trustworthy, and prudent way.

2. in a way that reflects a duty or responsibility.

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Explanation

When you do something in a careful, trustworthy way, you do it responsibly. If you spend your money responsibly, you'll probably be able to save some of it. Acting responsibly is important in life — it's what makes people trust you, and it means you usually do things only after thinking them over and choosing what's wisest or most sensible. You can't get a driver's license until you prove you can drive responsibly. And, before someone hires you to babysit, they'll want to know you act responsibly. The Latin root is respons-, "answerable" or "offered in return."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

responsibly

"It is wrong that the journalists who did their job responsibly are now being subjected to an onslaught of abuse."

From Barron's ● Aug. 19, 2026

As much as we like to think that adults will behave responsibly, you run the risk of the tenant/landlord saying, “I lost $100.”

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 11, 2026

“If we develop responsibly, I think it can lead to tremendous benefits in human health,” said Brian Hie, a computational biologist at Stanford and an author of the study.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 7, 2026

They said the mayor had backed recommendations from the London AI and Jobs Taskforce to help employers adopt AI responsibly and support workers through the transition.

From BBC ● Aug. 5, 2026

“Be polite, act responsibly, help clean up. Do not make me regret letting you go,” Lou Ann calls as I run out to Ana’s mom’s car.

From "The Tenth Mistake of Hank Hooperman" by Gennifer Choldenko