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

They are entitled to about 20 hours of care a week but outside that, the responsibility falls almost entirely on him and Sophia's mum.

From BBC

Serving your country doesn’t always mean putting on a uniform, but it does mean taking responsibility for something bigger than yourself.

From The Wall Street Journal

Don’t parents have a responsibility to monitor their children’s activities, and, if necessary, keep them from harm?

From The Wall Street Journal

“The responsibility I take in all of this is accepting distance,” says Burden.

From Los Angeles Times

Among Wojnar’s responsibilities at the time were briefing the management committee on various company projects and preparing investor presentations.

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

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