1
as in responsible
being the one who must meet an obligation or suffer the consequences for failing to do so you are answerable for your own conduct at all times

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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How does the adjective answerable contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of answerable are accountable, amenable, liable, and responsible. While all these words mean "subject to being held to account," answerable suggests a relation between one having a moral or legal obligation and a court or other authority charged with oversight of its observance.

an intelligence agency answerable to Congress

Where would accountable be a reasonable alternative to answerable?

The synonyms accountable and answerable are sometimes interchangeable, but accountable suggests imminence of retribution for unfulfilled trust or violated obligation.

elected officials are accountable to the voters

How do amenable and liable relate to one another, in the sense of answerable?

Both amenable and liable stress the fact of subjection to review, censure, or control by a designated authority under certain conditions.

laws are amenable to judicial review
not liable for the debts of the former spouse

When can responsible be used instead of answerable?

The meanings of responsible and answerable largely overlap; however, responsible implies holding a specific office, duty, or trust.

the bureau responsible for revenue collection

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of answerable OpenAI is currently completely controlled by its nonprofit board, which is purely answerable to the company’s founding mission: ensuring that AI benefits all of humanity. Beatrice Nolan, Fortune, 20 June 2025 Whoever is managing the Vatican Bank is ultimately answerable to a U.S. citizen. Robert Goulder, Forbes.com, 2 June 2025 Like every member of the General Assembly, Stewart essentially is an independent contractor answerable to the voters, not an employee who can be fired or have their pay docked by the House leadership. Mark Pazniokas, Hartford Courant, 17 May 2025 But all of this avoids the challenges of a magical realism where questions about the purpose of poetry, theater, political resistance, life and legacy are answerable only by dying. Mark Swed, Los Angeles Times, 9 May 2025 See All Example Sentences for answerable
Recent Examples of Synonyms for answerable
Adjective
  • Liem says Williams is responsible for propelling the category with high-touch design.
    Tanya Benedicto Klich, Forbes.com, 23 Aug. 2025
  • Graham Merwin Ramping to 300mm While TI is well known for its graphing calculators, the company is also responsible for helping revolutionize the electronics industry.
    Katie Tarasov, CNBC, 22 Aug. 2025
Adjective
  • One bill, known as the Kids Online Safety Act, would make social media platforms liable for preventing their products from harming children — similar to the Online Safety Act in the U.K. This push from regulators is increasingly causing something of a rethink at several major tech players.
    Ryan Browne, CNBC, 30 Aug. 2025
  • Substantially damaging or injuring a neighbor's tree could leave you liable to fees or fines for damages, something that can quickly get expensive, according to state law.
    Keely Doll, Louisville Courier Journal, 30 Aug. 2025
Adjective
  • Theoretically, a landing in 2028 remains feasible, but a more rational over/under date for NASA is probably somewhere in the vicinity of 2030.
    Eric Berger, ArsTechnica, 21 Aug. 2025
  • Advances in battery chemistry and efficiency now make long road trips feasible in electric cars.
    Emese Maczko, Forbes.com, 20 Aug. 2025
Adjective
  • Chia Seeds Chia seeds are rich in soluble fiber and quercetin, an antioxidant that may support heart health by reducing inflammation.
    Abby Norman, Verywell Health, 26 Aug. 2025
  • Just one cup has over 11 grams of both soluble and insoluble fiber.
    Ashia Aubourg, Outside, 16 Aug. 2025
Adjective
  • Jason Ritter plays Julian’s scenes in this episode with raw emotion, making the character’s choices more explicable, if not entirely forgivable.
    Noel Murray, Vulture, 18 Apr. 2025
  • An extraordinary and welcome event that is not explicable by natural or scientific laws, and is therefore attributed to a divine agency?
    Tim Spiers, New York Times, 14 Apr. 2025
Adjective
  • Some call it a tax on legal settlements, but the situation is often solvable.
    Robert W. Wood, Forbes.com, 18 Aug. 2025
  • Predicting depth charts can be perilous, but based on what’s been said throughout fall camp, this puzzle seems solvable with less than two weeks until the season opener.
    Quentin Corpuel, Kansas City Star, 17 Aug. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Answerable.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/answerable. Accessed 4 Sep. 2025.

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