irresponsible

adjective

Save Word

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

Definition of irresponsible

(Entry 1 of 2)

: 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

irresponsible

noun

Definition of irresponsible (Entry 2 of 2)

: a person who is irresponsible

Other Words from irresponsible Synonyms & Antonyms Example Sentences Learn More About irresponsible

Other Words from irresponsible

Adjective

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

Synonyms & Antonyms for irresponsible

Synonyms: Adjective

Antonyms: Adjective

responsible

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 Patrick Remington, an emeritus professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Medicine and Public Health, severely criticized Johnson and called his persistent questioning of medical science irresponsible. — Bill Glauber, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 5 May 2022 Croker is further described as polarizing and robust, crude, rude, and irresponsible. — Joe Otterson, Variety, 2 May 2022 The Pentagon called his words irresponsible—though as Peskov explicitly said in the interview, this is longstanding Russian nuclear doctrine, not something new. — David Meyer, Fortune, 23 Mar. 2022 Russia destroyed one of its own satellites last November in a direct-ascent anti-satellite missile test which has been condemned by US President Joe Biden's administration as dangerous and irresponsible. — Kristin Fisher, CNN, 21 Jan. 2022 Some people are still irresponsible, of course, but there was a switch at some point that made most people change their behavior. — Krista Langlois, Outside Online, 25 Apr. 2022 Infuriated, Toby says Kate's never seen limitations, which is irresponsible. — Amanda Ostuni, EW.com, 6 Apr. 2022 The week of March 21: when ‘socially responsible’ investing is irresponsible, inflation, the oil price, health care, and much, much more. — Andrew Stuttaford, National Review, 25 Mar. 2022 For me, manufacturers of handguns are in a business category that is unethical and irresponsible. — Christopher Marquis, Forbes, 15 Mar. 2022 See More

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'irresponsible.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.