irresponsible

1 of 2

adjective

ir·​re·​spon·​si·​ble ˌir-i-ˈspän(t)-sə-bəl 

: not responsible: such as

a

: lacking a sense of responsibility

b

: said or done with no sense of responsibility

irresponsible accusations

c

: unable especially mentally or financially to bear responsibility

d

: not answerable to higher authority

an irresponsible dictatorship

irresponsibility

ˌir-i-ˌspän(t)-sə-ˈbi-lə-tē 

noun

irresponsibleness

ˌir-i-ˈspän(t)-sə-bəl-nəs 

noun

irresponsibly

ˌir-i-ˈspän(t)-sə-blē 

adverb

irresponsible

2 of 2

noun

: a person who is irresponsible

Synonyms

Adjective

• daredevil
• devil-may-care
• foolhardy
• harum-scarum
• hell-for-leather
• kamikaze
• reckless

Examples of irresponsible in a Sentence

Adjective

He's too irresponsible to keep a job for more than a week.

She made irresponsible comments that helped cause the riot.

It would be irresponsible to ignore the threats.

Recent Examples on the Web

Adjective

After a regular gig on ER (1994–1998) and a recurring spot on Aaron Sorkin’s Sports Night (1999–2000), Macy took on the lead role of irresponsible dad Frank Gallagher in Showtime’s dysfunctional family dramedy Shameless (2011–2021), earning six Emmy nominations. —Danny Horn, EW.com, 29 Dec. 2024

The result of it, a really terrific solution was killed by irresponsible politics. —CBS News, 22 Dec. 2024

Returning to the previous broken system would be irresponsible. —Arlen Benjamin-Gomez, New York Daily News, 16 Dec. 2024

Sadly, despite incidents like these, irresponsible rhetoric persists. —David Plazas, The Tennessean, 20 Dec. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

Adjective

1648, in the meaning defined above

Noun

1892, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

irresponsible

adjective

ir·​re·​spon·​si·​ble

ˌir-i-ˈspän(t)-sə-bəl

1

: not legally responsible

2

: having or showing no sense of responsibility

irresponsible behavior

3

: unable to bear responsibility

irresponsibility

-ˌspän(t)-sə-ˈbil-ət-ē

noun

irresponsibly

-ˈspän(t)-sə-blē

adverb

Medical Definition

irresponsible

adjective

ir·​re·​spon·​si·​ble ˌir-i-ˈspän(t)-sə-bəl 

: not responsible : mentally inadequate to bear responsibility

irresponsibility

-ˌspän(t)-sə-ˈbil-ət-ē 

noun

plural irresponsibilities