# irresponsible

/ˌɪɹəˈspɑnsəbəɫ/ (US) · /ɪɹɪspˈɒnsəbəl/ (UK)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/irresponsible
Updated: 2026-06-20

## Senses

### 1. careless or negligent

adjective · CEFR B2

behaving in a way that shows you do not care about the consequences of your actions.

For teachers: displaying a lack of accountability or due care; acting without regard for the potential negative outcomes of one's conduct.

- It was irresponsible of him to leave the front door unlocked all night.
- The board of directors was criticised for their irresponsible handling of the company's pension fund during the merger.

### 2. not legally accountable

adjective · CEFR C1 · Archaic · Formal

not legally responsible for what you do.

For teachers: exempt from legal responsibility or not subject to being held accountable by a higher authority.

- In the past, certain rulers were considered irresponsible to any human law.
- The treaty established that the monarch remained irresponsible to the local courts, a clause that caused significant diplomatic friction.

### 3. a careless person

noun · CEFR C2 · Formal

a person who does not act in a responsible way.

For teachers: an individual who lacks a sense of duty or fails to meet their obligations.

- The social worker worried that the young man was becoming one of the town's irresponsibles.
- The editorial dismissed the protesters as a group of young irresponsibles with no clear political agenda.

## Examples

- It is irresponsible to leave a small child home alone.
- The manager was fired for his irresponsible handling of the company's private financial data.
- While the immediate gains were significant, the board's decision to ignore environmental regulations was widely condemned as an irresponsible pursuit of short-term profit at the expense of the community.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.