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

The US has described the arrangement as a shift from a donor-recipient model towards shared responsibility, with US funding expected to decline over the five years as Zambia increases domestic spending.

From BBC ● Oct. 8, 2026

She appealed directly to Sánchez in an open letter last year: “You have the ability, the responsibility, and the power to change this,” she wrote.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 8, 2026

For decades, Germany has seen resolute support for Israel as a fundamental duty largely because of Nazi Germany's responsibility for the genocide of millions of European Jews during the Holocaust.

From Barron's ● Oct. 7, 2026

“We’re learning as we go,” she said about the responsibility of shouldering these physical manifestations of people’s hearts.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 6, 2026

In this frightening new world, each American had a new responsibility: know what to do in case of nuclear war.

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

In the AI era, he pared down his senior leadership team, while giving each person broader responsibilities, he explained.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 9, 2026

Lennie Kaplan, a former finance official in Alberta, says the province would be expected to take on a share of Canada's national debt, among many other fiscal challenges and responsibilities.

From BBC ● Oct. 7, 2026

In his resignation statement, Tennessee Department of Correction Commissioner Frank Strada insisted "the Department carried out its responsibilities in accordance with the established protocol."

From Barron's ● Oct. 4, 2026

This debate turns on several questions, including what constitutes a disability under ADA, what responsibilities businesses should shoulder and how the U.S. regulates fragrances.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 3, 2026

He did not philosophize about the law or his responsibilities, but Tom noticed that he always maintained the same manner, no matter whether the prisoners were black or white or Mexican.

From "Killers of the Flower Moon" by David Grann

Related Words

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