responsibly

American  

[ri-spahns-uhb-lee] / rɪˈspɑns əb li /

adverb

1. in a sensible, trustworthy, and prudent way.

2. in a way that reflects a duty or responsibility.

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Explanation

When you do something in a careful, trustworthy way, you do it responsibly. If you spend your money responsibly, you'll probably be able to save some of it. Acting responsibly is important in life — it's what makes people trust you, and it means you usually do things only after thinking them over and choosing what's wisest or most sensible. You can't get a driver's license until you prove you can drive responsibly. And, before someone hires you to babysit, they'll want to know you act responsibly. The Latin root is respons-, "answerable" or "offered in return."

Example Sentences

A source close to Drunk Elephant, for example, says it is not a "youth-focused" brand, and that it is trying to educate its customers about how to use its products responsibly.

From BBC • Jun. 6, 2026

"I'm aware the vast majority of farmers dispose of fallen livestock responsibly and many share my disgust, but this is wrong and we need to see people apprehended for it", he said.

From BBC • Jun. 4, 2026

Last week, Anthropic began telling the companies they could share information about cyber threats and Mythos findings with other entities as long as it was done responsibly, she said.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 18, 2026

"We've emphasised that being a global economic leader carries with it the duty to act responsibly on matters from energy to the environment to development in Africa," Bush said at the time.

From Barron's • May 15, 2026

“Be polite, act responsibly, help clean up. Do not make me regret letting you go,” Lou Ann calls as I run out to Ana’s mom’s car.

From "The Tenth Mistake of Hank Hooperman" by Gennifer Choldenko