responsible

Meanings

Adjective

• Having the duty of taking care of something; answerable for an act performed or for its consequences; accountable; amenable, especially legally or politically.
• Being a primary cause of a situation or action and thus able to be blamed or credited for it.
• Answerable to (a superior).
• Involving important duties; involving a degree of personal accountability on the part of the person concerned.
• Having good judgment in decision-making.
• Able to be trusted; reliable; trustworthy.
• Capable of rational conduct and thus morally accountable for one's behavior.

Noun

• The individual who bears the responsibility for something.
• An actor taking on the lesser roles in repertory theatre.

Related

Opposite words

• irresponsible

Origin

• From Middle French responsable, from Old French responsable, responsible, formed from the root of Latin responsus, from respondere. The spelling of the English word is taken from the Old French variant responsible.