responsibility

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noun re·spon·si·bil·i·ty \ ri-ˌspän(t)-sə-ˈbi-lə-tē \

Definition of responsibility

plural responsibilities

1 :the quality or state of being responsible: such as

a :moral, legal, or mental accountability

b :reliability, trustworthiness

2 :something for which one is responsible :burden

has neglected his responsibilities

See responsibility defined for English-language learners

See responsibility defined for kids

Examples of responsibility in a Sentence

… Landau's piece, examining the fan's, and the journalist's responsibility to rock stars … —Lawrence Dietz, Los Angeles Times Book Review, 23 May 1971
A great soprano has a responsibility to her public … —Robert Evett, Atlantic, September 1970
The responsibility for engineering the line of cars which in 1908 evolved the immortal Model T … —John Kenneth Galbraith, New York Times Book Review, 28 Feb. 1954
Anthony Burton had once said that this was your responsibility toward society. —John P. Marquand, Atlantic, Nov. 1947
The boys denied any responsibility for the damage to the fence.
A terrorist group has claimed responsibility for the bombing.
The janitor has many responsibilities.
Mowing the lawn is your responsibility.
She has to deal with a lot of family and work responsibilities.
It is your responsibility to give the company two weeks notice if you decide to leave.
In her new position, she will have much more responsibility.
We have a responsibility to protect the environment.
The government's responsibility is to serve the public.
The principal has responsibility for 450 students and a staff of 35.

Recent Examples of responsibility from the Web

The Dolphins will rotate as many as five defensive ends in games this year, and while all have specific skill sets, each will have one overriding responsibility: set the edge.

— adam h. beasley, miamiherald, "On league’s richest d-line, don’t forget Branch — the ‘spark plug’ of the Miami Dolphins," 30 Aug. 2017
He also will not be inclined to reduce the suspension without any evidence of contrition and admittance of responsibility from Elliott.

— clarence e. hill jr., star-telegram, "Elliott testifies at appeal; Jerry Jones maintains NFL has no evidence," 29 Aug. 2017
Breeland has more responsibilities than that, but the chemistry between Oregon's current tight end and receiver could be one of the most important relationships on the team heading into the season.

— tyson alger, OregonLive.com, "Chemistry between Oregon's Jacob Breeland and Justin Herbert could pay dividends for Ducks," 29 Aug. 2017
As the guardian and guarantor of the bulk of that infrastructure, the United States of America must bear a corresponding bulk of the responsibility for determining a plan of defense and establishing the protocols of a recovery.

— joshua cohen, WIRED, "The Great Tech Panic: What If All Your Secrets Became Public Information?," 25 Aug. 2017
One of Hunt's main responsibilities is training groups and individuals in the county on the use of Naloxone, explaining to everyone from school nurses to prison guards to parents how the drug works to stop the effects of opioids in the body.

— kate magill, Howard County Times, "How to save a life: Officials push Naloxone trainings into the community," 23 Aug. 2017
A group called the National Frog Agency/Central Frog Services, which has the twitter handle @NFAGov, claimed responsibility for the cyber attack.

— jani actman, National Geographic, "It's Now Legal to Sell Rhino Horn in South Africa. The World's Top Breeder Makes His Move.," 20 Aug. 2017
In January, the government shifted responsibility for drawing the boundaries of indigenous territories from FUNAI to the Ministry of Justice.

— barbara fraser, Science | AAAS, "Maps reveal how Amazon development is closing in on isolated tribes," 17 Aug. 2017
Naperville City Manager Doug Krieger took responsibility for lack of communication to the council on the RFQ process.

— erin hegarty, Naperville Sun, "Naperville council members question selection process of 5th Avenue developer," 16 Aug. 2017

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

Origin and Etymology of responsibility

see responsible

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1771

See Words from the same year

responsibility Synonyms

Synonyms

blame, fault, liability

Antonyms

dodginess [chiefly British], unreliability

Related Words

accountability, answerability

Near Antonyms

grace, postponement, stay; discharge, ease, exemption, release, relief, waiver; loophole; alternative, choice, option, pick, preference, selection

RESPONSIBILITY Defined for English Language Learners

responsibility

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noun

Definition of responsibility for English Language Learners

: the state of being the person who caused something to happen
: a duty or task that you are required or expected to do
: something that you should do because it is morally right, legally required, etc.