responsibility

noun

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

plural responsibilities

1

: the quality or state of being responsible: such as

a

: moral, legal, or mental accountability

take/accept/claim responsibility for the incident

b

: reliability, trustworthiness

She is completely lacking in responsibility.

The students learned a sense of responsibility with the project.

2

: something for which one is responsible : burden

has neglected his responsibilities

Synonyms of responsibility

• blame

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 on the Web

Bassey and Robinson fail to sort out their marking responsibilities in the middle, and Kamada is allowed to ghost into the space to volley home. — Thom Harris, New York Times, 11 Sep. 2026

Headen declined to claim responsibility for any of the posts. — David Zimmermann, The Washington Examiner, 11 Sep. 2026

The museum’s Director and Chief Executive Sandra Jackson-Dumont stepped down in early 2025 after the museum’s board decided to divide her responsibilities between two positions. — Jane Horowitz, Los Angeles Times, 10 Sep. 2026

Our responsibility is not simply to spend it but to leave more of it behind for future generations. — Brian Peckrill, Forbes.com, 10 Sep. 2026

Word History

Etymology

see responsible

First Known Use

1642, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing responsibility

• lay the blame/responsibility on
• on one's own responsibility

Rhymes for responsibility

• acceptability
• accessibility
• adaptability
• admissibility
• advisability
• affordability
• allowability
• amenability
• amiability
• appealability
• applicability
• availability

Kids Definition

responsibility

noun

re·​spon·​si·​bil·​i·​ty ri-ˌspän(t)-sə-ˈbil-ət-ē 

plural responsibilities

1

: the quality or state of being responsible

2

: the quality of being dependable

3

: something for which one is responsible

neglected his responsibilities