responsibility

American  

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

noun

• responsibilities
  plural

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

Derived Forms

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

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• responsibilities
  plural

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

See Examples For:

responsibility responsibilities

Ghana has been given special responsibility by the African Union to be "champion for reparatory justice" and it is clearly a role the country's political leadership is taking seriously.

From BBC ● Aug. 16, 2026

With people making potentially life-or-death decisions based on his posts, Esko said he felt the weight of responsibility.

From Barron's ● Aug. 16, 2026

There were “many efforts at that time to define a so-called Christian moral politics around what they call family values, personal responsibility, what they defined as appropriate expression of sexuality and patriotism,” Drake said.

From Salon ● Aug. 14, 2026

We want to make sure we are there when they are ready to book because those companies are not going to take on the responsibility of actually doing the bookings.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 14, 2026

And why, Khrushchev demanded, was that the Soviets’ responsibility?

From "Fallout: Spies, Superbombs, and the Ultimate Cold War Showdown" by Steve Sheinkin

Species that live this way form colonies containing overlapping generations, cooperate in raising young and divide reproductive responsibilities.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 15, 2026

Unlike renting, homeownership can come with new responsibilities like mowing the lawn — and new expenses like homeowners association fees.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 15, 2026

Student workers are shouldering bigger responsibilities, such as leading projects, as AI takes over menial tasks.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 13, 2026

During his five years away from coaching, Patterson said he actually spent more time studying the game than he had at TCU, where he was often consumed with other responsibilities.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 9, 2026

“That plate was a gift from the Education Committee when Principal Peattie assumed the responsibilities of being the principal of this school,” he said.

From "Okay for Now" by Gary D. Schmidt

Related Words

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