accountable

adjective

ac·​count·​able ə-ˈkau̇n-tə-bəl 

1

: subject to giving an account : answerable

held her accountable for the damage

2

: capable of being explained : explainable

… leaving aside variations accountable as printer's errors …

—Peter Shaw

accountableness

ə-ˈkau̇n-tə-bəl-nəs 

noun

accountably

ə-ˈkau̇n-tə-blē 

adverb

Synonyms of accountable

• responsible
• liable

Choose the Right Synonym for accountable

responsible, answerable, accountable, amenable, liable mean subject to being held to account.

responsible implies holding a specific office, duty, or trust.

the bureau responsible for revenue collection

answerable suggests a relation between one having a moral or legal obligation and a court or other authority charged with oversight of its observance.

an intelligence agency answerable to Congress

accountable suggests imminence of retribution for unfulfilled trust or violated obligation.

elected officials are accountable to the voters

amenable and liable stress the fact of subjection to review, censure, or control by a designated authority under certain conditions.

laws are amenable to judicial review

not liable for the debts of the former spouse

Examples of accountable in a Sentence

If anything goes wrong I will hold you personally accountable!

the owner was held accountable for his dog's biting of the child

Recent Examples on the Web

Official complaint data is used to validate funding and hold airlines accountable for accessibility issues. —Zach Wichter, USA Today, 14 Jan. 2026

Extending the same rule to all law enforcement officers, Abarca said, would aim to hold ICE accountable while avoiding discriminating against the agency specifically. —Ilana Arougheti, Kansas City Star, 13 Jan. 2026

The chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee pressed the Syrian government to hold perpetrators accountable amid accusations of grave human rights violations within Syria’s army during the seizure of two Kurdish neighborhoods in Aleppo. —Benjamin Weinthal, FOXNews.com, 13 Jan. 2026

About 25 states have one or both of these processes, which have been found to promote accountable and responsive government. —The Atlantic, 13 Jan. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Middle English accountable, accomptable, borrowed from Anglo-French acomptable, from acunter "to account entry 2" + -able -able

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for accountable

• countable
• demountable
• uncountable
• insurmountable
• unaccountable

Kids Definition

accountable

adjective

ac·​count·​able ə-ˈkau̇nt-ə-bəl 

1

: responsible for giving an account (as of one's acts)

will be held accountable

2

: capable of being accounted for : explainable

accountability

-ˌkau̇nt-ə-ˈbil-ət-ē

noun

accountably

-ˈkau̇nt-ə-blē 

adverb

Legal Definition

accountable

adjective

ac·​count·​able ə-ˈkau̇n-tə-bəl 

1

: liable

accountable for the burglary

2

: obliged to accept responsibility

the bank accountable for payment of the check

accountability

ə-ˌkau̇n-tə-ˈbi-lə-tē 

noun