How do you use "accountable"?

Often used with the prepositions 'to' (the person in charge) and 'for' (the task or action). In modern English, 'explicable' is much more common for this meaning.

accountable — meaning, definition & examples

Q: What does "accountable" mean?

1. (responsible for actions) required to explain your actions or decisions to someone else, especially when you make a mistake. 2. (able to be explained) possible to explain or understand.

Q: Is it correct to say "The manager is accountable of the budget."?

No — say "The manager is accountable for the budget.". Use the preposition 'for' to describe the thing you are responsible for, and 'to' for the person you answer to.

Word

01responsible for actions

B2 · Upper Intermediate

adj. required to explain your actions or decisions to someone else, especially when you make a mistake.

adj. obliged to accept responsibility or to account for one's actions; answerable to an authority or the public.

“The government must be accountable to the people who voted for them.”

“Public officials are held strictly accountable for the transparent management of taxpayer funds and must justify any significant budgetary deviations.”

Usage

Often used with the prepositions 'to' (the person in charge) and 'for' (the task or action).

Pitfall

The manager is accountable of the budget.

The manager is accountable for the budget.

Use the preposition 'for' to describe the thing you are responsible for, and 'to' for the person you answer to.

Synonyms

responsible answerable liable

Antonyms

unaccountable irresponsible

02able to be explained

C2 · Proficiency Formal · Archaic

adj. possible to explain or understand.

adj. capable of being accounted for or explained through logic or evidence.

“The strange noise was accountable once we found the broken window.”

“The sudden shift in the chemical composition of the soil was only accountable by the presence of an underground spring.”

Usage

In modern English, 'explicable' is much more common for this meaning.

Synonyms

explicableunderstandableexplainable

Antonyms

unaccountable inexplicable

Common phrases and expressions where native English speakers use the word “accountable” in context.

Verb

01. be held accountable

“No one should be held accountable for mistakes made by their predecessors.”

verb + adj

02. hold someone accountable

“The public must hold elected officials accountable for their campaign promises.”

verb + noun + adj

03. render someone accountable

“New legislation aims to render corporations accountable for their environmental impact.”

verb + noun + adj

Adjective

04. accountable for something

“Managers are accountable for the performance of their entire team.”

adj + prep

05. accountable to someone

“In a democracy, the government is directly accountable to the people.”

adj + prep

06. personally accountable

“The CEO was made personally accountable for the data breach.”

adv + adj

Adverb

07. strictly accountable

“Military officers are held strictly accountable for the conduct of their subordinates.”

adv + adj

08. ultimately accountable

“The board of directors is ultimately accountable for the company's long-term strategy.”

adv + adj

“No one was held accountable, Markovic said, directly blaming Vucic and his Serbian Progressive Party (SNS), who have been in power for 14 years.”

Al Jazeera 14 Aug 2026

“I think it’s a push to blame Matthiessen for the plight of the snow leopard, in the same way that Melville shouldn’t be held accountable for the decline in sperm whales.”

The Guardian 5 Aug 2026

From account + -able. First attested around 1400.

Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

NOUN

ADJECTIVE

accountable(C1)

unaccountable(C1)