responsibility
Pluralresponsibilities
- 1A duty or task that you are in charge of and must answer for, such as a job to finish or money or people to look after.
Managing the department's budget is a responsibility she takes very seriously.
Training new staff is one of her many responsibilities as head nurse.
UsageOften it is someone's responsibility to do something; people take on responsibilities and carry them out.
Similarobligation, duty
Note
It often names its holder with of and its content with an infinitive, as in Harry S. Truman's 1945 address to Congress: "The responsibility of the great states is to serve and not to dominate the world."
- 2The condition of being accountable or answerable for one's own actions and obligations in general, rather than any one particular duty or task.
Leadership brings a degree of responsibility that many people underestimate.
Parenthood carries enormous responsibility from the very first day.
UsageWith no article for the general idea (a lot of responsibility, more responsibility); a responsibility usually means one particular duty.
Similaraccountability, answerability
- 3The state of being liable or culpable for something in particular.
The company admitted responsibility for the oil spill.
Investigators sought to assign responsibility for the security breach.
UsageUsually responsibility for something: take, accept, admit or claim responsibility for the damage.
Similarblame, liability, culpability, fault
Note
Trains Illustrated in 1960 has railway civil engineers who "must share responsibility" for faults. Unlike the general quality, it answers a narrower question: who is to blame for this?
- 4The trait of being level-headed, dependable, and trustworthy, so that others can rely on one.
The manager praised the new hire's maturity and sense of responsibility.
Her parents let her stay home alone once she had shown more responsibility.
UsageMost often a sense of responsibility or show responsibility; a person with this quality is responsible.
Similarmaturity, reliability, dependability, trustworthiness
Oppositeirresponsibility, immaturity, unreliability
Practice
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Origin
Formed from "responsible" plus the suffix "-ity." Although its parts are of French origin, the compound appears to have been created in English; the later French "responsabilité" was modeled on the English word, and the Italian "responsabilità" was in turn modeled on the French.
Checked 5 Nov 2026 · 4 facts
- Responsibility was formed from responsible plus -ity. en.wiktionary.org
- Its components came from French, but the word appears to have been formed in English. en.wiktionary.org
- The later French responsabilité was modeled on English responsibility. en.wiktionary.org
- Italian responsabilità was modeled on French responsabilité. it.wiktionary.org