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re·spon·si·bil·i·ty

(rĭ-spŏn′sə-bĭl′ĭ-tē)

n. pl. re·spon·si·bil·i·ties

1. The state, quality, or fact of being responsible.

2. Something for which one is responsible; a duty, obligation, or burden.

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

responsibility

(rɪˌspɒnsəˈbɪlɪtɪ)

n, pl -ties

1. the state or position of being responsible

2. a person or thing for which one is responsible

3. the ability or authority to act or decide on one's own, without supervision

Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

re•spon•si•bil•i•ty

(rɪˌspɒn səˈbɪl ɪ ti)

n., pl. -ties.

1. the state, fact, or quality of being responsible.

2. an instance of being responsible: The responsibility for this mess is yours!

3. a particular burden of obligation upon one who is responsible: the responsibilities of authority.

4. a person or thing for which one is responsible.

[1780–90]

responsibility

1. The obligation to carry forward an assigned task to a successful conclusion. With responsibility goes authority to direct and take the necessary action to ensure success.
2. The obligation for the proper custody, care, and safekeeping of property or funds entrusted to the possession or supervision of an individual. See also accountability.

Dictionary of Military and Associated Terms. US Department of Defense 2005.

ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:

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Noun	1.	responsibility - the social force that binds you to the courses of action demanded by that force; "we must instill a sense of duty in our children"; "every right implies a responsibility; every opportunity, an obligation; every possession, a duty"- John D.Rockefeller Jr duty, obligation job - the responsibility to do something; "it is their job to print the truth" safekeeping, guardianship, keeping - the responsibility of a guardian or keeper; "he left his car in my keeping" social control - control exerted (actively or passively) by group action moral obligation - an obligation arising out of considerations of right and wrong; "he did it out of a feeling of moral obligation" noblesse oblige - the obligation of those of high rank to be honorable and generous (often used ironically) burden of proof - the duty of proving a disputed charge civic duty, civic responsibility - the responsibilities of a citizen filial duty - duty of a child to its parents imperative - some duty that is essential and urgent incumbency - a duty that is incumbent upon you legal duty - acts which the law requires be done or forborne line of duty - all that is normally required in some area of responsibility white man's burden - the supposed responsibility of the white race to provide care for their non-white subjects prerequisite, requirement - something that is required in advance; "Latin was a prerequisite for admission" requirement, demand - required activity; "the requirements of his work affected his health"; "there were many demands on his time"
	2.	responsibility - the proper sphere or extent of your activities; "it was his province to take care of himself" province arena, domain, sphere, orbit, area, field - a particular environment or walk of life; "his social sphere is limited"; "it was a closed area of employment"; "he's out of my orbit" ecclesiastical province - the district within the jurisdiction of an archbishop or a metropolitan or one of the territorial divisions of an ecclesiastical order; "the general of the Jesuits has several provinces under him"
	3.	responsibility - a form of trustworthiness; the trait of being answerable to someone for something or being responsible for one's conduct; "he holds a position of great responsibility" responsibleness character, fibre, fiber - the inherent complex of attributes that determines a persons moral and ethical actions and reactions; "education has for its object the formation of character"- Herbert Spencer trustiness, trustworthiness - the trait of deserving trust and confidence fault - responsibility for a bad situation or event; "it was John's fault" accountability, answerability, answerableness - responsibility to someone or for some activity dependability, dependableness, reliability, reliableness - the quality of being dependable or reliable irresponsibility, irresponsibleness - a form of untrustworthiness; the trait of lacking a sense of responsibility and not feeling accountable for your actions

responsibility

noun

1. duty, business, job, role, task, function, burden, liability, accountability, onus, answerability The 600 properties were his responsibility.

2. fault, blame, liability, guilt, culpability, burden They have admitted responsibility for the accident.

3. obligation, duty, liability, charge, care This helps employees balance work and family responsibilities.

4. authority, power, control, management, leadership, importance, mana (N.Z.) a better-paying job with more responsibility

5. job, task, function, role, pigeon (informal) I'm glad it's not my responsibility to be their guardian

6. level-headedness, stability, maturity, common sense, reliability, rationality, reasonableness, dependability, trustworthiness, conscientiousness, soberness, sensibleness I think she's shown responsibility.

Related words
fear hypegiaphobia

Quotations
"Uneasy lies the head that wears a crown" [William Shakespeare Henry IV, part 2]
"The buck stops here" [Harry S. Truman motto on his desk at the White House]

Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002

responsibility

noun

An act or course of action that is demanded of one, as by position, custom, law, or religion:

burden, charge, commitment, duty, imperative, must, need, obligation.

Translations

مَسْؤولِيّاتمَسْؤُولِيَّةمَسْؤولِيَّهمسؤولِيَّه عن، تَبِعَه

odpovědnost

ansvar

Verantwortung Verantwortlichkeit

ευθύνη

respondeco

responsabilidad

vastuu

responsabilité correspondance devoir

ज़िम्मेदारी

odgovornost

felelősség

ábyrgîábyrgî, ábyrgîarhlutverk

responsabilità responsabilit...

責任

책임

ответственность спрос

odgovornost

ansvar

ความรับผิดชอบ

sorumluluksorumlu olma

ذِمّیداری

trách nhiệm

责任职责负责任

responsibility

[rɪsˌpɒnsəˈbɪlɪtɪ] N

1. (= liability) → responsabilidad f
he has accepted or admitted responsibility for the tragedy → ha aceptado ser responsable de la tragedia
the group which claimed responsibility for the attack → el grupo que reivindicó el atentado
joint responsibility → responsabilidad f conjunta
to place or put the responsibility for sth on sb → hacer a algn responsable de algo, hacer que la responsabilidad de algo recaiga sobre algn
shared responsibility → responsabilidad f compartida
the company takes no responsibility for objects left here → la empresa no asume responsabilidad por los objetos que se dejen aquí, la empresa no se responsabiliza de los objetos que se dejen aquí
see also diminished

2. (= duty, obligation) → responsabilidad f
that's his responsibility → eso es responsabilidad suya
she's not your responsibility → ella no es responsabilidad tuya, ella no está bajo tu responsabilidad
it's a big responsibility for him → supone una gran responsabilidad para él
it's my responsibility to lock up → cerrar es responsabilidad mía, yo soy el responsable de cerrar
she didn't want to take on more responsibilities → no quería asumir más responsabilidades
you have a responsibility to your family → tienes una responsabilidad con or hacia tu familia

3. (= authority, accountability) → responsabilidad f
she wants a position with more responsibility → quiere un puesto de mayor responsabilidad
to have responsibility for sth → ser responsable de algo
to take on/take over (the) responsibility for sth → asumir la responsabilidad de algo, responsabilizarse de algo, hacerse responsable de algo

4. (= maturity) → responsabilidad f
try to show some responsibility → a ver si somos más responsables
he has no sense of responsibility → no tiene ningún sentido de la responsabilidad

Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005

responsibility

[rɪˌspɒnsɪˈbɪləti] n

(= authority, control) → responsabilité f
Women still take most of the responsibility for the children → Les femmes assument toujours la plupart des responsabilités liées aux enfants.
a position of responsibility
He was in a position of responsibility → Il avait un poste à responsabilités.
to have responsibility for sb
He has responsibility for five employees → Il a cinq employés sous sa responsabilité., Il a la responsabilité de cinq employés.

(= blame) → responsabilité f
to take responsibility for sth → assumer la responsabilité de qch
Someone had to take responsibility for the mistake → Quelqu'un devait assumer la responsabilité de l'erreur.
to claim responsibility for sth → revendiquer la responsabilité de qch
No one has claimed responsibility for the attacks → Personne n'a revendiqué la responsabilité des attentats.
to admit responsibility for sth
British Rail has admitted responsibility for the accident → British Rail a admis sa responsabilité dans l'accident.
I made a mistake and I will assume responsibility for it → J'ai commis une erreur et j'en assumerai la responsabilité.

(= duty) → responsabilité f
work and family responsibilities → des responsabilités professionnelles et familiales
to be sb's responsibility
The steering of the ship remained his responsibility → Le pilotage du navire restait sous sa responsabilité.
It's not my responsibility → Cela n'est pas de ma responsabilité.
his responsibilities include ... → ses responsabilités incluent ... .
to have a responsibility to sb → être responsable devant qn

Collins English/French Electronic Resource. © HarperCollins Publishers 2005

responsibility

no pl → Verantwortung f; to put or place the responsibility for something on somebody → jdm die Verantwortung für etw übertragen; to take or assume (full) responsibility (for something) → die (volle) Verantwortung (für etw) übernehmen; the management takes no responsibility for objects left here → die Firma haftet nicht für liegen gelassene Gegenstände; that’s his responsibility → dafür ist er verantwortlich; she’s his responsibility → er hat die Verantwortung für sie; it’s not my responsibility to do that → ich bin nicht dafür verantwortlich, das zu tun; on one’s own responsibility → auf eigene Verantwortung; sense of responsibility → Verantwortungsgefühl nt; responsibility payment → Verantwortlichkeitszuschlag m

(= duty, burden) → Verpflichtung f → (to für); the responsibilities of state → die staatsmännischen Pflichten; the responsibilities of office → die Dienstpflichten pl

Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007

responsibility

[rɪˌspɒnsəˈbɪlɪtɪ] n → responsabilità f inv
to place the responsibility for sth on sb → ritenere qn responsabile di qc
on one's own responsibility → di propria iniziativa
to take responsibility for sth/sb → assumersi or prendersi la responsabilità di qc/per qn
that's his responsibility → è compito suo

Collins Italian Dictionary 1st Edition © HarperCollins Publishers 1995

respond

(rəˈspond) verb

(with to).

1. to answer with words, a reaction, gesture etc. He didn't respond to my question; I smiled at her, but she didn't respond.

2. to show a good reaction eg to some course of treatment. His illness did not respond to treatment by drugs.

3. (of vehicles etc) to be guided easily by controls. The pilot said the plane did not respond to the controls.

reˈsponse (-s) noun

1. a reply or reaction. Our letters have never met with any response; My suggestions met with little response.

2. (usually in plural) in church services, a part spoken by the congregation rather than the priest.

reˌsponsiˈbility (-sə-) – plural reˌsponsiˈbilities – noun

1. something which a person has to look after, do etc. He takes his responsibilities very seriously.

2. the state of having important duties. a position of responsibility.

3. the state of being responsible. his responsibility for the accident.

reˈsponsible (-səbl) adjective

1. having a duty to see that something is done etc. We'll make one person responsible for buying the food for the trip.

2. (of a job etc) having many duties eg the making of important decisions. The job of manager is a very responsible post.

3. (with for) being the cause of something. Who is responsible for the stain on the carpet?

4. (of a person) able to be trusted; sensible. We need a responsible person for this job.

5. (with for) able to control, and fully aware of (one's actions). The lawyer said that at the time of the murder, his client was not responsible for his actions.

reˈsponsibly (-sə-) adverb

in a trustworthy or serious way. Do try to behave responsibly.

reˈsponsive (-siv) adjective

(negative unresponsive). a responsive, kindly girl; a responsive smile; The disease is responsive to treatment.

reˈsponsively adverb

reˈsponsiveness noun

responsibility

→ مَسْؤُولِيَّة odpovědnost ansvar Verantwortung ευθύνη responsabilidad vastuu responsabilité odgovornost responsabilità 責任 책임 verantwoordelijkheid ansvar odpowiedzialność responsabilidade ответственность ansvar ความรับผิดชอบ sorumluluk trách nhiệm 责任

re·spon·si·bil·i·ty

n. responsabilidad.

References in classic literature ?

Today, a generation raised in the shadows of the Cold War assumes new responsibilities in a world warmed by the sunshine of freedom, but threatened still by ancient hatreds and new plagues.

Posterity is the world to come, the world for whom we hold our ideals, from whom we have borrowed our planet, and to whom we bear sacred responsibilities. We must do what America does best, offer more opportunity TO all and demand more responsibility FROM all.

View in context

"Certain responsibilities," he continued quietly, "with regard to the safe conduct of this country, have been handed over to the military authorities, which in this particular case I represent.

View in context

But he loved the work because it was for her and the tiny life that had come to cheer them, though adding a hundredfold to his responsibilities and to the terribleness of their situation.

View in context

Marrable secured the services of a respectable professional person to drill the young ladies and gentlemen, and to accept all the other responsibilities incidental to creating a dramatic world out of a domestic chaos.

I see nothing to laugh at -- you would all be serious enough if you had my responsibilities. No, papa -- no wine to-day, thank you.

View in context

This change in service was most welcome to me, especially as it brought with it coveted responsibilities of sole command, and I was prone to overlook the deficiencies of the Coldwater in the natural pride I felt in my first ship.

View in context

Her older sister, Margaret, was matronly and dignified, probably from having assumed matronly and housewifely responsibilities too early in life, their mother having died when they were quite young, Margaret was not effusive; she was practical.

View in context

It is obvious that CSR describes an innovative and proactive approach; it may also be beneficial for the organization by ensuring bigger increase in productivity.1 CSR defines an organization's social responsibilities as containing economic, legal, ethical, and altruistic responsibilities.

Relationship between nurses' social responsibility and the quality of delivered nursing services to patients in Hamadan University of Medical Sciences, Iran

This year's edition of the conference organised by Dar Al Sharq under the theme 'Responsibilities despite Challenges' intends to raise awareness and knowledge of social responsibility and its positive impact on society.

Social responsibility conference begins

There are various responsibilities which are fulfilled by the company Tesco plc which ranges from social responsibility, environmental responsibility, and employee responsibility to government responsibility.

How can we prepare an Effective Business Structure?

Assignment of social and other responsibilities as well as encumbrances put on business create a misbalance for the statements proposed.