Responsibility definitions

Webster's 1828 Dictionary

RESPONSIBIL'ITY, n. [from responsible.]
1. The state of being accountable or answerable, as for a trust or office, or for a debt.
It is used in the plural; as heavy responsibilities.
2. Ability to answer in payment; means of paying contracts.

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

n
1: 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 [syn: duty, responsibility, obligation]
2: the proper sphere or extent of your activities; "it was his province to take care of himself" [syn: province, responsibility]
3: 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" [syn: responsibility, responsibleness] [ant: irresponsibility, irresponsibleness]

Merriam Webster's

noun (plural -ties) Date: 1771 1. the quality or state of being responsible: as a. moral, legal, or mental accountability b. reliability, trustworthiness 2. something for which one is responsible ; burden <has neglected his responsibilities>

U.S. Military Dictionary

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.

Oxford Reference Dictionary

n. (pl. -ies) 1 a (often foll. by for, of) the state or fact of being responsible (refuses all responsibility for it; will take the responsibility of doing it). b authority; the ability to act independently and make decisions (a job with more responsibility). 2 the person or thing for which one is responsible (the food is my responsibility). Phrases and idioms: on one's own responsibility without authorization.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Responsibility Re*spon`si*bil"i*ty (r?*sp?n`s?*b?l"?*t?), n.; pl. -ties (-t?z). [Cf. F. responsabilit['e].] 1. The state of being responsible, accountable, or answerable, as for a trust, debt, or obligation. 2. That for which anyone is responsible or accountable; as, the resonsibilities of power. 3. Ability to answer in payment; means of paying.

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

(responsibilities) Frequency: The word is one of the 1500 most common words in English. 1. If you have responsibility for something or someone, or if they are your responsibility, it is your job or duty to deal with them and to take decisions relating to them. Each manager had responsibility for just under 600 properties... N-UNCOUNT: oft N for n/-ing 2. If you accept responsibility for something that has happened, you agree that you were to blame for it or you caused it. No one admitted responsibility for the attacks... N-UNCOUNT: oft N for n 3. Your responsibilities are the duties that you have because of your job or position. He handled his responsibilities as a counselor in an intelligent and caring fashion. N-PLURAL: usu with supp 4. If someone is given responsibility, they are given the right or opportunity to make important decisions or to take action without having to get permission from anyone else. She would have loved to have a better-paying job with more responsibility... 5. If you think that you have a responsibility to do something, you feel that you ought to do it because it is morally right to do it. The court feels it has a responsibility to ensure that customers are not misled... = duty N-SING: usu N to-inf 6. If you think that you have a responsibility to someone, you feel that it is your duty to take action that will protect their interests. She had decided that as a doctor she had a responsibility to her fellow creatures. N-SING: N to/towards n

Soule's Dictionary of English Synonyms

n. 1. Accountableness, accountability, responsibleness, liability, obligation, bounden duty. 2. Trust, duty.

Moby Thesaurus

accountability, accountableness, accounting for, action, agency, agentship, amenability, answerability, answerableness, application, arrogation, ascription, assignation, assignment, attachment, attribution, auspices, authority, authorization, blame, bossing, brevet, burden, care, charge, chargeability, commission, commissioning, commitment, conduct, connection with, consignment, credit, culpability, cure, dedication to duty, delegated authority, delegation, dependability, deputation, derivation from, devolution, devolvement, devotion to duty, direction, driving, duteousness, dutifulness, duty, embassy, empowerment, entrusting, entrustment, errand, etiology, execution, executorship, exequatur, exercise, eye, factorship, faithworthiness, fault, full power, functioning, guilt, handling, honor, imputation, incorruptibility, incumbency, intendance, inviolability, job, jurisdiction, legation, liability, license, lieutenancy, management, mandate, manipulation, mission, obligation, occupation, office, onus, operancy, operation, oversight, palaetiology, performance, performing, placement, plenipotentiary power, power of attorney, power to act, practice, procuration, proxy, purview, reference to, regency, regentship, reliability, responsibleness, role, running, saddling, sense of duty, sense of obligation, stability, steering, superintendence, supervision, sureness, surveillance, task, trust, trustability, trusteeship, trustiness, trustworthiness, unfalseness, unperfidiousness, untreacherousness, vicarious authority, warrant, work, working, workings