responsibility

noun

ri-ˌspän(t)-sə-ˈbi-lə-tē How to pronounce responsibility (audio)
Definition of responsibilitynext
1
as in blame
the state of being held as the cause of something that needs to be set right responsibility for the accident lies with the driver who was speeding

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2
as in obligation
something one must do because of prior agreement I had the responsibility of closing up the shop at night

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in reliability
worthiness as the recipient of another's trust or confidence the newspaper publisher should hire kids of greater responsibility to deliver its papers

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of responsibility The priest is the one of three male leaders left in a community otherwise bereft of its menfolk, who impose their will on the remaining women and children with varying degrees of kindness and responsibility. — Guy Lodge, Variety, 7 Oct. 2026 His daughter told the judge that her father had accepted responsibility rather than hide from his mistakes. — Antonio María Delgado, Miami Herald, 7 Oct. 2026 The authority entrusted to police officers carries with it an equally significant responsibility to act lawfully, ethically and with integrity. — Brian Maass, CBS News, 7 Oct. 2026 Channing Dungey has officially added new responsibilities and reports to her dance card. — Peter White, Deadline, 7 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for responsibility
Recent Examples of Synonyms for responsibility
  1. blame
  2. obligation
  3. reliability
  4. duty
  5. need
  6. burden
  7. commitment
Noun
  • However, desperate to enjoy all the benefits of her unconventional and self-serving situation, without shouldering any of the blame, Uta proposes that Morio be the donor for Junna’s child, and that all three of them move in together.
    — Guy Lodge, Variety, 11 Oct. 2026
  • On message boards and on call-in shows, Lewis, who turned 19 late last month, has shouldered much of the blame.
    — Sean Keeler, Denver Post, 10 Oct. 2026
Definition of blame
Noun
  • Organizers have legitimate obligations and limited resources.
    — Philip Martin, Arkansas Online, 13 Oct. 2026
  • True, Dua Lipa has mostly lived in places where the de facto street food is a kebab, but work obligations put her in the land of hot dogs plenty.
    — Bethy Squires, Vulture, 9 Oct. 2026
Definition of obligation
Noun
  • The data being pulled from an optional survey can create limits in the overall reliability of the data.
    — William Jones, Miami Herald, 12 Oct. 2026
  • Operational reliability, targeting accuracy, command-and-control arrangements, survivability, and integration with existing military systems will all influence its eventual strategic value.
    — Prabhat Ranjan Mishra, Interesting Engineering, 9 Oct. 2026
Definition of reliability
Noun
  • The Chief Split How will Ellison and Kreiz handle individual duties?
    — Matt Donnelly, Variety, 7 Oct. 2026
  • Troops with mild traumatic brain injuries and hit by shrapnel often returned to duty quickly in Iraq and Afghanistan.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 6 Oct. 2026
Definition of duty
Noun
  • The technology could also reduce the need to closely match battery cells during manufacturing, since the pack would be better able to accommodate differences in cell performance.
    — Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 9 Oct. 2026
  • Mercury in your 7th House quincunxes Saturn in your private 12th, making relationships, conversations, and unspoken needs harder to read at first.
    — Tarot.com, New York Daily News, 9 Oct. 2026
Definition of need
Noun
  • And the global threats to health risk amplifying existing inequalities, with the greatest burden falling on the most vulnerable communities.
    — Deidre McPhillips, CNN Money, 10 Oct. 2026
  • But carrying that burden forward with nothing more than hope to balance it, passing it on to future generations, explaining it to strangers, is too much.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 9 Oct. 2026
Definition of burden
Noun
  • More than 70 companies have also signed on to contribute to employees’ children’s accounts, the White House said, following early commitments from firms like JPMorgan Chase and Bank of America.
    — Fernanda Tronco, Fortune, 12 Oct. 2026
  • Today, many more American women are choosing Lee Krasner’s lifestyle and her commitments; but to pioneer took a special kind of courage.
    — Barbara Rose, Vogue, 11 Oct. 2026
Definition of commitment

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responsibilities
responsibility
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Cite this Entry

“Responsibility.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/responsibility. Accessed 14 Oct. 2026.

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