responsibility

American  

[ri-spon-suh-bil-i-tee] / rɪˌspɒn səˈbɪl ɪ ti /

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.

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idioms

1. on one's own responsibility, on one's own initiative or authority.

   He changed the order on his own responsibility.

responsibility British  

/ 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

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Other Word Forms

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

Etymology

Origin of responsibility

First recorded in 1780–90; respons(ible) + -ibility

Example Sentences

The ECB wrote to the eight franchises on Sunday reminding them of their responsibilities around discrimination.

From BBC

"I love getting the responsibility with the ball," Jacks said.

From BBC

“We have a big responsibility to the fans. They have high expectations and we appreciate that.”

From Los Angeles Times

Yet officials responsible for the fire response have still failed to provide a detailed explanation about what led to the failures, much less take responsibility.

From Los Angeles Times

"As players, senior players and the leadership team we have to take responsibility for not starting the game right," said Itoje.

From BBC

Related Words

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