responsibility
- 01 B1 Intermediate
a specific task or duty that you are expected to do as part of your job or life.
a specific duty, obligation, or task for which an individual is held accountable. Often used in the plural to describe job requirements.
Simple“One of my main responsibilities at work is answering the phones.”
In context“The manager delegated several key responsibilities to her assistant to ensure the project remained on schedule during her absence.”
PitfallIt is my responsibility for cleaning the kitchen. It is my responsibility to clean the kitchen.When 'responsibility' is followed by an action, use 'to' plus the infinitive verb, or 'for' plus a gerund ('for cleaning').
Synonyms - 02 B1 Intermediate
the state of being the person who must make sure something is done correctly.
the abstract state or quality of being accountable or having authority over something.
Simple“With the new promotion comes a lot more responsibility and longer hours.”
In context“The captain accepted full responsibility for the safety of the passengers, refusing to leave the vessel until everyone had been evacuated.”
SynonymsAntonymsirresponsibility - 03 B2 Upper Intermediate
the state of being the person who caused something to happen, especially something bad.
legal or moral liability for an act or its consequences; the state of being culpable.
Simple“The company accepted responsibility for the accident and paid for the repairs.”
In context“The court must determine whether the defendant bears criminal responsibility for the damages caused by the fire.”
SynonymsAntonyms
Usage assume responsibility · direct responsibility · primary responsibility
From responsible + -ity. Although the components are of French origin, the compound appears to have been formed in English. Later-attested French responsabilité is modeled on the English word, and Italian responsabilità is in turn modeled on the French.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.