responsibility
Americannoun
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the state or fact of being responsible, answerable, or accountable for something within one's power, control, or management.
- Synonyms:
- accountability, answerability
-
an instance of being responsible.
The responsibility for this mess is yours!
-
a particular burden of obligation upon one who is responsible.
the responsibilities of authority.
-
a person or thing for which one is responsible.
A child is a responsibility to their parents.
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reliability or dependability, especially in meeting debts or payments.
idioms
noun
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the state or position of being responsible
-
a person or thing for which one is responsible
-
the ability or authority to act or decide on one's own, without supervision
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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."
Vocabulary lists containing responsibility
Election Lingo
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Joyous Kwanzaa! Vocabulary Worth Celebrating
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
On May 11, the nonpartisan watchdog organization Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics filed a complaint with the Department of Transportation’s Office of Inspector General, alleging the venture violated federal gift and travel rules.
From Salon • May 18, 2026
In 1996, he sharply criticized the passage of the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act, which cut federal benefits for many legal immigrants.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 27, 2026
A left-leaning watchdog group, Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, also expressed concerns.
From MarketWatch • Apr. 23, 2026
Appeared in the April 4, 2026, print edition as 'Tiger Woods and the Case For Personal Responsibility'.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 3, 2026
Responsibility for the Touchable Future on their thin but able shoulders.
From "The God of Small Things" by Arundhati Roy
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
