responsibility
gb/ɹispˌɑnsɪbˈɪləti/ us/ɹispˌɑnsɪbˈɪləti/
B1
English
~ 900
Senses
0 senses
Noun
B1
state
1
Duty to deal with something
The need to do something because it is your job or role.
Usage pattern:
[someone] has responsibility for [something]
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes confuse 'responsibility' with 'task' — a task is a specific piece of work, while responsibility is the duty to complete tasks or look after something.
Synonyms
duty (Often used in formal or moral contexts; similar meaning but sometimes stronger sense of moral requirement.)
Antonyms
irresponsibility (Refers to a lack of concern for duties or obligations.)
Collocations
take responsibility
|accept responsibility
|bear responsibility
|full responsibility
|responsibility for
|share responsibility
Themes
work
|daily life
|law
|core_vocabulary
Examples
- As team leader, she has responsibility for organizing the project.
- Parents have a responsibility to care for their children.
- He refused to take responsibility for the mistake.
- The committee shares responsibility for the decision.
- I accept full responsibility for my actions.
Learner examples
- She has responsibility for the shop.
- Parents have a responsibility to feed their children.
- I take responsibility for the work.
- He has responsibility for cleaning the room.
- We share responsibility for the event.
Noun
B1
entity
2
Thing one must manage
A thing that you must take care of or manage.
Usage pattern:
[someone]'s responsibility is [something]
Synonyms
role (More about a general position or function; may include multiple responsibilities.)
Antonyms
freedom (In the sense of having no obligations to manage certain things.)
Collocations
main responsibility
|primary responsibility
|day-to-day responsibilities
|list of responsibilities
Themes
daily life
|work
|core_vocabulary
Examples
- My main responsibility is managing the budget.
- Looking after the garden is his responsibility.
- Her responsibilities include answering phone calls and scheduling meetings.
- One of my responsibilities is training new staff.
- The teacher's responsibilities go beyond just teaching lessons.
Learner examples
- My responsibility is to clean the room.
- His responsibility is to write emails.
- Her responsibilities include cooking and cleaning.
- The dog's care is my responsibility.
- One responsibility is to help customers.
Noun
B2
state
3
Blame or credit for result
Being the person who made something happen, so people think it is your fault or your success.
Usage pattern:
[someone] takes responsibility for [something] happening
Synonyms
accountability (Often used in formal or professional contexts; emphasizes answerability.)
Antonyms
exoneration (Officially being freed from blame.)
Collocations
claim responsibility
|accept responsibility
|deny responsibility
Themes
law
|emotions
|core_vocabulary
|work
Examples
- The company accepted responsibility for the accident.
- No one has claimed responsibility for the attack.
- He denied any responsibility for the error.
- She took full responsibility for the failure.
- Responsibility for the mistake lies with the management.
Learner examples
- I take responsibility for the mistake.
- She claimed responsibility for the idea.
- They denied responsibility for the problem.
- He takes responsibility when things go wrong.
- The driver accepted responsibility for the crash.
Noun
B2
property
4
Quality of being dependable
The ability to act in a way that shows you can be trusted and will do what is right.
Synonyms
reliability (Focuses on consistently doing what is expected; less about moral judgment.)
Antonyms
irresponsibility (Lack of care about duties or consequences.)
Collocations
sense of responsibility
|show responsibility
Themes
character
|emotions
|core_vocabulary
|work
Examples
- Her sense of responsibility makes her a great leader.
- We try to teach children about responsibility from an early age.
- He showed great responsibility by reporting the problem immediately.
- Responsibility is an important quality in any employee.
Learner examples
- She has a strong sense of responsibility.
- We teach children about responsibility.
- He showed responsibility when he helped his friend.
- Responsibility is important at work.
Grammar
Dictionary form
responsibility
IPA
GB/ɹispˌɑnsɪbˈɪləti/
US/ɹispˌɑnsɪbˈɪləti/
Syllables & stress
re - spons - ib - il - ity (5 syllables)
Stress on 4th syllable (il)
Word forms
Noun
- Base: responsibility
- Plural: responsibilities, responsibility
Word family
Forms
responsibilities
noun
Core family
responsible
adjective B1
responsibly
adverb
Related words
Negative and opposite forms
Expressions
bear responsibility
1/bˈɛɹ ɹispˌɑnsɪbˈɪləti/
fixed phrase
formal
Carry duty or blame
To have to deal with a duty or be blamed for something, especially in a serious way.
Examples
- Parents bear great responsibility for their children's safety.
- The board bears ultimate responsibility for company decisions.
claim responsibility
1/klˈeɪm ɹispˌɑnsɪbˈɪləti/
fixed phrase
Say you caused something bad/good
To say that you did something, often something bad like an attack.
Examples
- A rebel group claimed responsibility for the bombing.
- No one has claimed responsibility yet.
shift responsibility (onto)
1/ʃˈɪft ɹispˌɑnsɪbˈɪləti ˈɔntu/
fixed phrase
Pass duty or blame to others
To put your duty or blame on another person instead of yourself.
Examples
- He tried to shift responsibility onto his colleague.
- Don't shift your responsibilities onto me.
take responsibility for
1/tˈeɪk ɹispˌɑnsɪbˈɪləti fɚ/
fixed phrase
Accept duty or blame
To agree that you must deal with something or that it is your fault.
Examples
- He took responsibility for fixing the mistake.
- You need to take responsibility for your own actions.
accept responsibility
1/æksˈɛpt ɹispˌɑnsɪbˈɪləti/
fixed phrase
Agree to be accountable for something
To say you will take blame or duty for something you did or must do.
Examples
- He accepted responsibility for breaking the window.
- The minister accepted responsibility for the policy failure.
- The company accepted responsibility for the product defect.
- She accepted responsibility without hesitation.