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a responsible adult
a dependable adult
a reliable adult
a trustworthy adult
an accountable adult
responsible decisions
careful decisions
mature decisions
appropriate decisions
thoughtful decisions
proactive decisions
a responsible government
a capable government
a competent government
a vigilant government
a prudent government
a resourceful government
responsible behavior
reliable behavior
righteous behavior
dependable behavior
mature behavior
accountable behavior

Synonym Chooser

How does the adjective responsible contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of responsible are accountable, amenable, answerable, and liable. While all these words mean "subject to being held to account," responsible implies holding a specific office, duty, or trust.

the bureau responsible for revenue collection

When could accountable be used to replace responsible?

The words accountable and responsible are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, 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 responsible?

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 is it sensible to use answerable instead of responsible?

The synonyms answerable and responsible are sometimes interchangeable, but 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

Examples 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 responsible Armed with this data, leaders can make informed, responsible decisions about AI use in their organization. Eric Miquelon, Forbes, 5 Nov. 2024 This election night will be a different experience for Stirewalt, who was part of the team at Fox that was responsible for making race calls during major elections. Dominick Mastrangelo, The Hill, 5 Nov. 2024 Norma Nazario sued the platforms on the anniversary of Zackery’s death, alleging the companies are responsible for exposing her son to subway surfing content, the firm said. Alisha Ebrahimji, CNN, 2 Nov. 2024 As director of the Construction & Demolition department, Counts was responsible for managing major construction projects in the city, as well as residential and commercial demolition programs. Dana Afana, Detroit Free Press, 1 Nov. 2024 See all Example Sentences for responsible 
Recent Examples of Synonyms for responsible
Adjective
  • Section 230 prevents social media companies from being held legally liable for the content on their platforms.
    Vittoria Elliott, WIRED, 5 Nov. 2024
  • The actor typically favors Christian Louboutin Dolly 85 pumps in black and nude—though she’s recently been liable to try out a slouchy boot.
    Hannah Jackson, Vogue, 4 Nov. 2024
Adjective
  • Eisenberg, who co-stars here with Kieran Culkin, wrote himself a role that suits him ever so well, playing the by-the-book, uptight David, a married man with a reliable job and a reliable life.
    Randy Myers, The Mercury News, 13 Nov. 2024
  • Chief among those potentially destabilizing forces is that a fellow Republican will be in the White House — a reliable drag on GOP members of Congress during midterm elections.
    John Aguilar, The Denver Post, 12 Nov. 2024
Adjective
  • Don't miss out on these amazing savings to enhance your workflow and keep your data safe while on the go.
    Shubham Yewale, PCMAG, 7 Nov. 2024
  • David Swift stayed up to make sure his wife and daughter got home safe.
    Dateline NBC, NBC News, 6 Nov. 2024
Adjective
  • The movie’s true set pieces are the professorial villain’s ostentatious monologues using fast food, musical plagiarism, and Monopoly as metaphors to point out how modern religions are just conspicuous iterations of what’s come before.
    Nicholas Quah, Vulture, 8 Nov. 2024
  • However, our Editors’ Choice, GameMaker, does a better job balancing consumer convenience with true professional game development potential.
    PCMAG, PCMAG, 7 Nov. 2024
Adjective
  • Small Pockets of Cover Similarly, other small pockets of cover can be good, too.
    Josh Honeycutt, Outdoor Life, 14 Nov. 2024
  • They are gone, presumably for good, a full 21 months before the end of Lo’s two-year lease.
    Suzanne Seggerman, Curbed, 14 Nov. 2024
Adjective
  • Meanwhile, San Francisco maintained its above-average performance with a steady score of 74.
    Kate Talerico, The Mercury News, 9 Nov. 2024
  • Trump has promised to reduce government oversight of the cryptocurrency industry, which provided a steady stream of funds to his campaign, and to a lesser extent his Democratic rival, Vice President Kamala Harris, throughout the presidential race.
    Rob Wile, NBC News, 6 Nov. 2024

Thesaurus Entries Near responsible

Cite this Entry

“Responsible.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/responsible. Accessed 23 Nov. 2024.

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