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

Explanation

A responsibility is something you're required to do as an upstanding member of a community. If you're in a band, it's your responsibility to learn the songs and show up to practice on time. Responsibility comes from the Latin responsus, which means "to respond." There are actually a few different definitions of the noun. It can be another word for "trustworthiness," as in, "He demonstrated his responsibility by showing up to practice on time." And it can be used to describe the social force that motivates us to take on individual responsibilities, as in, "A sense of responsibility drove him to memorize all of the songs."

Example Sentences

President Trump is listed as a co-founder emeritus, as is Steve Witkoff, the real estate developer who serves as Trump’s Middle East envoy with responsibility for negotiating a peace deal with Iran.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 28, 2026

Footage was posted online on the day by the campaign group Take Back Power, which claimed responsibility at the time.

From BBC • Apr. 27, 2026

“I’m transparent about the fact that you’ll know exactly how I feel about censorship — and it’s because in the Library Bill of Rights, it’s my responsibility to fight against it on your behalf.”

From Salon • Apr. 26, 2026

The military, which seized power in two coups in 2020 and 2021, did not immediately comment on events and no claims of responsibility were made.

From Barron's • Apr. 25, 2026

I let Pasqual and Louis, one of our most trustworthy employees, who was taking on more responsibility all the time, know that I’d be handling the Gorens’ yard myself that morning.

From "Lawn Boy Returns" by Gary Paulsen

Related Words

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