Word
answerable
Phoneticsan·swer·able
US/ˈænsɝəbəɫ/
UK/ˈɑːnsəɹəbəl/
Definition
adj. responsible for something or someone. You use this when you must explain your actions or take the blame for a mistake.
adj. responsible for or in charge of something; accountable for one's actions. Often used in legal or formal contexts to describe a person's duty to justify their conduct.
Examples
“The manager is answerable for the mistakes in the report.”
“The board of directors holds the CEO answerable for the company's financial performance during the fiscal year.”
“In a democratic society, every elected official is answerable to the electorate, regardless of the specific policies they choose to implement during their term in office.”
Examples
simple
“The manager is answerable for the mistakes in the report.”
contextual
“The board of directors holds the CEO answerable for the company's financial performance during the fiscal year.”
complex
“In a democratic society, every elected official is answerable to the electorate, regardless of the specific policies they choose to implement during their term in office.”
Real-World Examples
“Students are answerable to the people who read, evaluate or rely on their work.” “Arday may have had questions to answer; that did not make black academics collectively answerable for him.” Etymology
From answer + -able.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Word family
NOUN
ADJECTIVE
- Exam level
- CambridgeCambridgeCambridge English QualificationsThe exam suite from Cambridge University Press & Assessment, from A1 Movers up to C2 Proficiency. The benchmark names double as CEFR labels.C1 AdvancedIELTSIELTSInternational English Language Testing SystemThe 0–9 band test co-owned by the British Council, IDP, and Cambridge. Used for university entry, work, and migration.7.0–8.0TOEFL iBTTOEFL iBTTest of English as a Foreign Language, Internet-Based TestETS's academic English test, the standard route for US university admissions. Scored 0–120, with a 1–6 scale since 2026.1–6 scale: 5.0–5.595–113TOEICTOEICTest of English for International CommunicationETS's workplace English test, big in Japan and Korea. Listening & Reading scores 10–990 and tops out at C1.945–990
- Frequency
- Occasional
- Level
- C1 · Advanced
- Updated
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QR code
englishreference.com/q/answerable