accountability

noun

ac·​count·​abil·​i·​ty ə-ˌkau̇n-tə-ˈbi-lə-tē 

: the quality or state of being accountable

especially : an obligation or willingness to accept responsibility or to account for one's actions

public officials lacking accountability

Examples of accountability in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

True accountability is an agreement to engage, contribute and deliver on commitments that matter. —Antoine Andrews, Forbes, 30 Nov. 2023

Early last season, players struggled with that kind of accountability. —Dan Woike, Los Angeles Times, 28 Nov. 2023

Winning for investors would prove an epic victory for accountability in a business racked by fraud. —Byshawn Tully, Fortune, 27 Nov. 2023

Universal humanitarian values, civil liberties, the rule of law and political accountability have always been the foundations of Israeli society. —Eli Cohen, WSJ, 26 Nov. 2023

Swift has performed three more shows in Brazil, including two in the same stadium — even as the country has sought accountability in the wake of the Nov. 17 show, and the Brazilian company that organized the show, Time4Fun, is the subject of government and police investigations. —Marina Dias, Washington Post, 25 Nov. 2023

The murkiness enables people to make dubious claims about what is dominant or popular online and allows the platforms to retort with similarly flimsy or warped evidence, limiting accountability on all sides, the researchers said. —Sapna Maheshwari, New York Times, 17 Nov. 2023

It can be complicated for some fans of these shows at a time when others are calling for accountability from the network. —Krystie Lee Yandoli, Rolling Stone, 18 Nov. 2023

This is the first of The Untouchables, a series of NBC News stories about how and why federal law enforcement officials accused of violating constitutional rights face little legal accountability. —Elizabeth Both, NBC News, 17 Nov. 2023

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Word History

Etymology

accountable + -ity

First Known Use

1750, in the meaning defined above