liability

li·a·bil·i·ty

noun \ˌlī-ə-ˈbi-lə-tē\

plural li·a·bil·i·ties

Definition of LIABILITY

1

a : the quality or state of being liable

b : probability

2

: something for which one is liable; especially : pecuniary obligation : debt —usually used in plural

3

: one that acts as a disadvantage : drawback

Examples of LIABILITY

1. The company is trying to limit its liability in this case.
2. <a retired football player whose chief asset—his prodigious girth—has now become a liability>

First Known Use of LIABILITY

1705

Related to LIABILITY

Synonyms

debit, disbenefit, downside, drawback, handicap, incommodity, disadvantage, minus, negative, strike

Antonyms

advantage, asset, edge, plus

Related Words

albatross, millstone, stranglehold; disability, impairment; failing, shortcoming; bar, catch, check, clog, crimp, embarrassment, hindrance, hitch, hurdle, impediment, interference, let, manacle, obstacle, obstruction, rub, shackle, stop, trammel

Near Antonyms

vantage; head start, jump, lead, margin, start; ascendancy (also ascendency), better, command, control, drop, mastery, predominance, superiority, supremacy, transcendence, upper hand; prerogative, privilege; break, opportunity; aid, assistance, help

Other Legal Terms

actionable, alienable, carceral, chattel, complicity, decedent, larceny, malfeasance, modus operandi

Rhymes with LIABILITY

actability, affability, arability, audibility, bankability, bearability, biddability, breathability, brushability, capability, changeability, clubbability, coilability, contractility, countability, credibility, crossability, culpability, curability, cutability, disability, disutility, drapability, drillability, drinkability, drivability, durability, dyeability, edibility, equability, erectility, fallibility, feasibility, fishability, flammability, flexibility, forgeability, formability, frangibility, friability, fungibility, fusibility, gullibility, hatchability, ignobility, imbecility, immobility, inability, incivility, indocility, infantility, infertility, instability, inutility, juvenility, leachability, legibility, likability, livability, lovability, mailability, meltability, miscibility, movability, mutability, notability, packability, placability, plausibility, playability, pliability, portability, possibility, potability, pregnability, prehensility, printability, probability, puerility, readability, rentability, risibility, roadability, salability, sensibility, sewability, shareability, sociability, solubility, solvability, spreadability, squeezability, stainability, stretchability, suitability, tenability, testability, traceability, trainability, treatability, tunability, usability, vendibility, versatility, viability, visibility, volatility, washability, wearability, wettability, workability