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definitions

responsibility

[ri-spon-suh-bil-i-tee]
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noun, plural re·spon·si·bil·i·ties.

the state or fact of being responsible, answerable, or accountable for something within one's power, control, or management.
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 its parents.
reliability or dependability, especially in meeting debts or payments.

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Nearby words

  1. response,
  2. response generalization,
  3. response time,
  4. response variable,
  5. responser,
  6. responsible,
  7. responsion,
  8. responsive,
  9. responsiveness,
  10. responsor

Idioms

    on one's own responsibility, on one's own initiative or authority: He changed the order on his own responsibility.

Origin of responsibility

First recorded in 1780–90; respons(ible) + -ibility
SYNONYMS FOR responsibility
1. answerability, accountability.
Related formsnon·re·spon·si·bil·i·ty, noun, plural non·re·spon·si·bil·i·ties.pre·re·spon·si·bil·i·ty, noun, plural pre·re·spon·si·bil·i·ties.self-re·spon·si·bil·i·ty, nounsu·per·re·spon·si·bil·i·ty, noun, plural su·per·re·spon·si·bil·i·ties.
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for self-responsibility

  • Believing in the dignity of self-responsibility, he could not assume the burden of Julia's discouragement.

    Narcissus|Evelyn Scott

  • As Ursula passed from girlhood towards womanhood, gradually the cloud of self-responsibility gathered upon her.

    The Rainbow|D. H. (David Herbert) Lawrence

  • She wants the great tonic cure of self-reliance and self-responsibility.

    Home Rule|Harold Spender
British Dictionary definitions for self-responsibility

responsibility

noun plural -ties

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
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Word Origin and History for self-responsibility

responsibility

n.

"condition of being responsible," 1787, from responsible + -ity. Meaning "that for which one is responsible" is from 1796. Related: Responsibilities.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper