# responsible

Pronunciation: say "ri-SPON-suh-buhl" US /ɹɪˈspɑnsəbəl/, UK /ɹɪˈspɒnsəbəl/

## Adjective

1. Having a duty to take care of something and being answerable for an act or its consequences, especially in law or politics.
   - Simple: Having the job of looking after something, and having to answer for what happens.
   - _As site manager, she is responsible for every safety decision on the project._
   - _Company directors are held legally responsible for the firm's debts._
2. Being a primary cause of a situation or action, and therefore open to blame or credit for it.
   - Simple: Being the main cause of something, so you get the blame or the praise for it.
   - _Investigators concluded that human error was responsible for the crash._
   - _A single mutation is responsible for the plant's bright red color._
3. Sensible and able to be trusted to act well, showing good judgment and care in what one does.
   - Simple: Sensible and good at doing the right thing, so other people can trust you.
   - _They hired a responsible contractor with a long record of finished projects._
   - _Voters wanted a responsible leader who would keep their promises._
4. Involving important duties and a degree of personal accountability for the person who holds the role.
   - Simple: Involving important duties and a need to answer for the work.
   - _The role of treasurer is highly responsible and demands careful bookkeeping._
   - _She took on a responsible position overseeing the entire department._
5. Capable of rational thought and conduct, and therefore morally accountable for one's actions.
   - Simple: Old enough and clear-minded enough to know right from wrong, and so answerable for what you do.
   - _The defense argued that the accused was not mentally responsible at the time._
   - _Most legal systems treat adults as fully responsible for their conduct._
6. Required to answer to a superior for one's actions or decisions.
   - Simple: Having to answer to someone above you, like a boss.
   - _The agency is responsible to Congress for how public money is spent._
   - _As deputy, she is responsible to the chief executive for daily operations._

## Noun

7. The person who bears the responsibility for a matter and must answer for it. *(archaic)*
   - Simple: The person who must answer for something that happens or is done.

## Other meanings

- (noun) An actor who takes on the lesser roles in a repertory theater company.

## Origin

This word comes from Middle French responsable and Old French responsable/responsible, built from the root of Latin responsus, from respondere. The English spelling follows the Old French variant responsible, and by surface analysis it can be read as response + -ible.

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/responsible (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).