answerability 1 of 2

as in accountability
willingness or obligation to explain one's actions or to admit being the cause of a problem Without any answerability to the people, the despot's actions were motivated by a desire for personal enrichment.

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

1
as in responsible
being the one who must meet an obligation or suffer the consequences for failing to do so you are answerable for your own conduct at all times

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

2

Synonym Chooser

How does the adjective answerable contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of answerable are accountable, amenable, liable, and responsible. While all these words mean "subject to being held to account," answerable suggests a relation between one having a moral or legal obligation and a court or other authority charged with oversight of its observance.

an intelligence agency answerable to Congress

Where would accountable be a reasonable alternative to answerable?

The synonyms accountable and answerable are sometimes interchangeable, but accountable suggests imminence of retribution for unfulfilled trust or violated obligation.

elected officials are accountable to the voters

How do amenable and liable relate to one another, in the sense of answerable?

Both amenable and liable stress the fact of subjection to review, censure, or control by a designated authority under certain conditions.

laws are amenable to judicial review
not liable for the debts of the former spouse

When can responsible be used instead of answerable?

The meanings of responsible and answerable largely overlap; however, responsible implies holding a specific office, duty, or trust.

the bureau responsible for revenue collection

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of answerability
Adjective
While the executive team run Newcastle on a day-to-day basis, the strategy is determined by the board and senior staff are answerable to the directors. Chris Waugh, The Athletic, 25 July 2024 Finally, accountability refers to the publisher being answerable and responsible for their work, such as making corrections. Quinn Clark, Journal Sentinel, 28 Oct. 2024 Getting this message across to executives—answerable to shareholders—and trying to give them a path forward is hard. Alexandra Harrell, Sourcing Journal, 27 Sep. 2024 The question about the existence (or not) of extraterrestrial life in the Milky Way may therefore be answerable only via an aggressive astronomical search for life itself. Mario Livio, Scientific American, 16 Sep. 2024 See All Example Sentences for answerability
Recent Examples of Synonyms for answerability
Noun
  • The renowned thespian continued, touching on the sense of responsibility and accountability he’s instilled within his eldest son.
    Preezy Brown, VIBE.com, 18 Mar. 2025
  • Meanwhile, the growing number of social media groups dedicated to no-buy 2025 offer support, practical tips, and accountability.
    Kimberly Wilson, Essence, 17 Mar. 2025
Adjective
  • As a rule, the person making the gift (not the recipient) is responsible for any applicable federal gift taxes.
    Kelly Phillips Erb, Forbes, 20 Mar. 2025
  • Fry will be responsible for the execution and delivery of its television slate, working closely with the creative, production and business teams at Sister, where the role is newly created.
    Max Goldbart, Deadline, 20 Mar. 2025
Noun
  • Ben Stevens, brought to Palace in 2015 by Alan Pardew as head of performance analysis, became the assistant sporting director in July 2024 but is unlikely to take on Freedman’s role by himself, even if does adopt more responsibility.
    Matt Woosnam, The Athletic, 19 Mar. 2025
  • Soundview has taken responsibility for the ongoing remediation, and the state continues to closely monitor that work.
    Staff report, Hartford Courant, 19 Mar. 2025
Adjective
  • The developer also will be liable for $2 million in attorney’s fees incurred by the state and environmental groups.
    Tammy Murga, San Diego Union-Tribune, 27 Mar. 2025
  • Urlacher was a suspect in the 1976 disappearance of a 14-year-old girl from a concert in Huntley and, while never charged, he was found liable in a civil trial for the teen’s death in 1981 and ordered to pay her family $5.15 million, according to a wire service report at the time.
    Gloria Casas, Chicago Tribune, 25 Mar. 2025
Adjective
  • Last week, Mayor Buddy Dyer shared that the city determined the project was not feasible.
    Christie Zizo, Orlando Sentinel, 19 Mar. 2025
  • And military officials question whether such a force is feasible if the United States does not agree to back up the European effort in a crisis.
    arkansasonline.com, arkansasonline.com, 19 Mar. 2025
Adjective
  • Each drink also includes fruit juices from concentrate, 6 grams of prebiotic fiber, zinc, vitamin C, soluble corn fiber, and monk fruit extract.
    Lauren Thomann, Better Homes & Gardens, 18 Feb. 2025
  • Summary Barley is a whole grain with high levels of a soluble fiber called beta-glucan.
    Kathi Valeii Published, Verywell Health, 11 Mar. 2025
Adjective
  • Gender, like art, Peters argues, is not always explicable.
    Grace Byron, Vulture, 11 Mar. 2025
  • Some of them are horrendous but explicable, like Novak Djokovic beating Gael Monfils in all 20 of their meetings; Rafael Nadal’s 18-0 record against Richard Gasquet and Roger Federer’s 17-0 against David Ferrer.
    Charlie Eccleshare, The Athletic, 22 Jan. 2025
Adjective
  • Structure loss in wildfires is a solvable problem, but the key is making mitigation technologies more affordable for retrofits and integrating them into building codes for new construction.
    Jamie Gold, Forbes, 18 Mar. 2025
  • The first time to mark the items that impact you the most and then to mark things that might be solvable.
    Amy Lindgren, Twin Cities, 15 Mar. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Answerability.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/answerability. Accessed 1 Apr. 2025.

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