responsibility

noun

A duty, obligation or liability for which someone is held accountable.

The state of being responsible, accountable, or answerable. [from 18th c.]

The state of being liable, culpable, or responsible for something in particular.

The obligation to carry forward an assigned task to a successful conclusion.

The obligation for the proper custody, care, and safekeeping of property or funds entrusted to someone’s possession or supervision.

Roots

spondeospons- · Latin · pledge, promise

Synonyms for responsibility

responsiblenessn obligationn dutyn accountabilityn accountablenessn onusn liabilityn burdenn culpabilityn blamev oversightn guiltn supervisionn rolen entrustingv

Synonyms & related words for responsibility

Find synonyms, related words, and the definition of responsibility — including responsibleness, obligation, duty, accountability, accountableness, onus. Dendril is a free visual thesaurus that shows them on an interactive map where stronger matches sit closer to the center — no signup, no ads.

Words related to responsibility

Explore words related to responsibility — words associated with it, words that go with it, and its nearest matches in meaning. Related words include responsible, accountable, answerable, responsibly, accountably, blameworthiness, liable, irresponsibility. Click any word to make it the center of the map and keep exploring the web of connections.

Synonyms for responsibility

Common synonyms for responsibility include responsibleness, obligation, duty, accountability, accountableness, onus, liability, burden — words that share a close meaning. Hover or tap any word on the map for its definition and part of speech.

Where does responsibility come from?

The word responsibility breaks down into one root of Latin origin: the root spons-, from Latin spondeo (“pledge, promise”). Explore each root to see other English words built from the same source.