irresponsible

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

Definition of irresponsible

:not responsible: such as

a :not answerable to higher authority

an irresponsible dictatorship

b :said or done with no sense of responsibility

irresponsible accusations

c :lacking a sense of responsibility

d :unable especially mentally or financially to bear responsibility

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irresponsibility

play \ˌir-i-ˌspän(t)-sə-ˈbi-lə-tē\ noun

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irresponsibleness

play \ˌir-i-ˈspän(t)-sə-bəl-nəs\ noun

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irresponsibly

play \ˌir-i-ˈspän(t)-sə-blē\ adverb

See irresponsible defined for English-language learners

See irresponsible defined for kids

Examples of irresponsible in a Sentence

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 of irresponsible from the Web

My public responses were irresponsible and not a reflection of our campaign of hospitality, service, and trust.

— jim morrill, charlotteobserver, "Congressional candidate called war-veteran opponent ‘a coward.’ Now he’s apologizing.," 24 Aug. 2017
The question is whether the producers were irresponsible and whether contestants crossed the line.

— elizabeth logan, Glamour, "'Bachelor in Paradise' Season 4 Episodes 2A and 2B Recap: DeMario's Side," 22 Aug. 2017
Too often, burgers and fries are not understood as the sustenance of last resort but as a pleasure of the irresponsible and gluttonous.

— max holleran, New Republic, "How Fast Food Chains Supersized Inequality," 2 Aug. 2017
Down’s Syndrome Scotland scolded Gervais in a public statement; his frivolous use of mongol derivatives appeared irresponsible, and callous to those with learning disabilities.

— Longreads, "My Mongolian Spot," 1 Aug. 2017
Without a plausible replacement, killing off Obamacare, by repeal or by neglect, would be grossly irresponsible.

— The Economist, "Revive, don’t repealThree steps to fix Obamacare," 20 July 2017
The reason behind the entire registration system, much like the requirement to register your automobile, is to hold irresponsible and criminal user accountable for their actions.

— chris clarke, Popular Mechanics, "The FAA's Failed Drone Registration Earned the Government Nearly $3 Million," 12 July 2017
For some reason, the device thought the streets in my apartment complex had a traffic camera waiting to capture irresponsible drivers was one did not exist.

— valentina palladino, Ars Technica, "More than Carpool Karaoke, these new features persuade drivers to buy dash cams," 2 July 2017
The whole thing begins funny enough as a parody in itself, with shots of writhing, oiled torsos and a catastrophically irresponsible number of candles.

— tom philip, GQ, "The Funniest Sex Scenes in Movie History," 27 June 2017

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.