irresponsible

1 of 2

adjective

ir·​re·​spon·​si·​ble ˌir-i-ˈspän(t)-sə-bəl 

: not responsible: such as

a

: lacking a sense of responsibility

b

: said or done with no sense of responsibility

irresponsible accusations

c

: unable especially mentally or financially to bear responsibility

d

: not answerable to higher authority

an irresponsible dictatorship

irresponsibility

ˌir-i-ˌspän(t)-sə-ˈbi-lə-tē 

noun

irresponsibleness

ˌir-i-ˈspän(t)-sə-bəl-nəs 

noun

irresponsibly

ˌir-i-ˈspän(t)-sə-blē 

adverb

irresponsible

2 of 2

noun

: a person who is irresponsible

Synonyms of irresponsible

Adjective

• reckless

Examples of irresponsible in a Sentence

Adjective

He's too irresponsible to keep a job for more than a week.

She made irresponsible comments that helped cause the riot.

It would be irresponsible to ignore the threats.

Recent Examples on the Web

Adjective

The two of them party hard enough and often enough that local police officer Montgomery (Missi Pyle) knows them by name; when some particularly irresponsible carousing crosses a line, however, they’re slapped with a community service sentence. — Guy Lodge, Variety, 25 July 2026

In his reasoning on Tuesday, Baun also pointed out that this year Idaho has already seen more than 2,000 acres burn up due to irresponsible recreational shooting. — Noah Daly july 24, Idaho Statesman, 24 July 2026

The expert also lamented the lack of empathy toward people who have lost relatives and described the handling of the bodies as irresponsible. — Sonia Osorio, Miami Herald, 10 July 2026

Daily routines, work pressures and wellness habits can cause disruption in your love life early in the month, especially if spontaneity feels exciting to one person and irresponsible to the other. — Valerie Mesa, PEOPLE, 9 July 2026

Word History

First Known Use

Adjective

1648, in the meaning defined above

Noun

1894, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for irresponsible

• responsible
• sponsible

Kids Definition

irresponsible

adjective

ir·​re·​spon·​si·​ble

ˌir-i-ˈspän(t)-sə-bəl

1

: not legally responsible

2

: having or showing no sense of responsibility

irresponsible behavior

3

: unable to bear responsibility

irresponsibility

-ˌspän(t)-sə-ˈbil-ət-ē

noun

irresponsibly

-ˈspän(t)-sə-blē

adverb

Medical Definition

irresponsible

adjective

ir·​re·​spon·​si·​ble ˌir-i-ˈspän(t)-sə-bəl 

: not responsible : mentally inadequate to bear responsibility

irresponsibility

-ˌspän(t)-sə-ˈbil-ət-ē 

noun

plural irresponsibilities