responsible
/ɹɪˈspɑn.sə.bəl/
Word Rarity
Uncommon
Frequency: Zipf frequency 4.88 in modern English
15
Scrabble Score
11
Letters
4
Syllables
9
Unique Chars
Meaning
adj
Having the duty of taking care of something; answerable for an act performed or for its consequences; accountable; amenable, especially legally or politically.
adj
Answerable to (a superior).
adj
Involving important duties; involving a degree of personal accountability on the part of the person concerned.
adj
adj
Able to be trusted; reliable; trustworthy.
Example Sentences
- "Parents are responsible for their child's behaviour."
- "Who is responsible for this mess?"
- "[…]Karius was a danger to his own team, responsible for Madrid’s two other goals and last seen wandering aimlessly around the pitch – alone, distraught and clearly traumatised – to ask forgiveness, hands clasped, from the thousands of Liverpool supporters."
- "She has a responsible position in the firm."
- "But was it responsible governance to pass the Longitude Act without other efforts to protect British seamen? Or might it have been subterfuge—a disingenuous attempt to shift attention away from the realities of their life at sea."
- "He looks like a responsible guy."
Etymology
From Middle French responsable, from Old French responsable, responsible, formed from the root of Latin responsus, from respondeō, respondēre. The spelling of the English word is taken from the Old French variant responsible. By surface analysis, response + -ible.
Origin
Word Breakdown
- Root: responsable, responsus
Regional Pronunciation
- American English: /ɹɪˈspɑn.sə.bəl/
- British English: /ɹɪˈspɒn.sə.bəl/