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responsibility

responsibility

2.7
A duty to do something and answer for what you do
  • noun
  • /rɪˌspɑnsəˈbɪlɪti/
translation icon : responsabilidad
  • We are all members of the global village and have a responsibility to be good global citizens.
  • take responsibility
  • share responsibility
  • professional responsibility

Isn't the government's responsibility to take care of you?

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Examples

  • But the banks must fulfil their responsibilities as well.

  • The manager took full responsibility for the project's failure and promised to learn from the mistakes.

  • It's not her responsibility to make him happy.

  • It's not your responsibility to fix this.

  • And so your first responsibility is to take care of yourself.

  • You feel it is your responsibility to take good care of this.

  • Most people learn respect and responsibility as they get older.

  • So I figure next year, I'm really gonna have to take on more responsibility here.

  • We are prepared to take full responsibility for our mishap.

  • I can't take responsibility for this.

Synonyms

duty
vsresponsibility
1.0

Something you must do because of law, your job, or what is right

also covers being dependable and having to explain actions
obligation
vsresponsibility
524 3.2

A duty you feel to do something because it is right or someone helped you

also implies lasting reliability and a habit of fulfilling tasks
accountability
vsresponsibility
198 6.1

Being responsible for your actions and having to explain them to other people

also covers being assigned tasks and having a dependable character
liability
vsresponsibility
  • Specialized
176 5.1

A legal responsibility to pay money for damage

is a general requirement plus dependable character beyond money matters
moral obligation
vsresponsibility
28 4.9

A duty you feel because something is right or wrong

is broader, adding steady reliability and external requirements
sense of responsibility
vsresponsibility
17 3.2

Feeling that you must do something or look after someone

focuses more on steady reliability and formal requirements
sense of duty
vsresponsibility
11 3.8

A feeling that you must do what is right for others

is the same feeling but adds steady habit of reliability
legal duty
vsresponsibility
  • Formal
2 4.0

Something a person must do because the law says so

is wider, also covering moral reasons and personal dependability
responsibleness
vsresponsibility
5.1

Careful and reliable way of acting that shows a person can be trusted with duties

includes both that dependable quality and an assigned requirement to act
answerability
vsresponsibility
  • Formal
7.7

Being responsible to someone for your actions

is broader adding personal care and dependable conduct beyond reporting

Antonyms

Failing to do required duties and causing problems for others

Compounds

Feeling that you must do something or look after someone

Things citizens must do, like obey laws and vote, to help their community and country

1 4.9

A heavy feeling of pressure because you have important duties

Belief that each person is responsible for their own health through their choices

How Responsible

co-principal
  • UK
5.4
responsibility
2.7
nonresponsibility
  • Formal
8.0

Surface Forms

Morphology

responsibility = responsible (transparent) = responsible + ity

Formed by the common adjective-to-noun derivation 'responsible' + '-ity', producing the noun meaning 'the state or quality of being responsible'.

Etymology

The word responsibility comes from a Latin root meaning 'to answer', and you can see the same idea in respond and response. The ending -ability means 'can' or 'ability', so a responsibility is something you must 'answer for', which is why it means a duty or something you are expected to take care of.