responsibility

[ri-spon-suh-bil-i-tee]

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.

responsibility

/ 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

Other Word Forms

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of responsibility¹

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

Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

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

   He changed the order on his own responsibility.

Example Sentences

"There is a degree of responsibility from my side in the sprint and we are starting this weekend within a clean slate for both of us, just going out and going racing," said Piastri.

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Even in cases where bad weather plays a role, she believes it is still the owners' responsibility to assess the risks and keep their crew safe.

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The responsibility to tackle Villa's problem may well fall to Austin MacPhee, one of the game's most highly respected set-piece coaches.

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In a social media post announcing he was stepping down as CEO, Zhao said External link he had “made mistakes” and would take responsibility.

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"I made mistakes, and I must take responsibility," he said.

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Related Words

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