How do you pronounce liable?

The recorded pronunciation is /ˈlaɪ̯əbəl/.

liable

/ˈlaɪ̯əbəl/

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 3.89 in modern English

Syllables: li-able
IPA: /ˈlaɪ̯əbəl/

Scrabble Score

Letters

Syllables

Unique Chars

Meaning

adj

Bound or obliged in law or equity; responsible; answerable.

adj

Subject; susceptible; prone.

adj

Exposed to a certain contingency or causality, more or less probable.

adj

Likely.

Example Sentences

"The surety is liable for the debt of his principal."
"He inveighed against the folly of making oneself liable for the debts of others; vented many bitter execrations against the brother; and concluded with wishing something could be done for the unfortunate family. The passion for philosophy, like that for religion, seems liable to this inconvenience"
"The document states that despite its ongoing advancements, generative AI is liable to the United States’s current copyright principles, which take a strict stance on what material—human- or machine-made—qualifies for protection."
"This crime is liable to imprisonment for life."
"A man liable to heart disease."
"☞ This word [earth] is liable to a coarſe vulgar pronunciation, as if written Urth;[…]"

Etymology

From Old French lier (“to bind”), from Latin ligō, ligāre (“to bind, to tie”). Compare typologically Russian обя́занный (objázannyj), обяза́тельный (objazátelʹnyj) (akin to вяза́ть (vjazátʹ)).

Word Breakdown

Root: *leyǵ-

Inflected Forms

more liable (comparative) most liable (superlative)

Derived Forms

liableness liably nonliable unliable

Frequently Paired Words

liability oblige reliable

Synonyms

apt nonimmune nonresistant unresistant

Rhymes With

reliable viable unreliable undeniable pliable unjustifiable unverifiable friable deniable flyable nonviable buyable