Synonyms for responsible
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Charged with responsibility
accountable, answerable, liable, amenable, subject, bound, incumbent on, devolving on, under obligation, constrained, tied, fettered, bonded, censurable, chargeable, culpable, to blame, at fault, guilty, obligated, obliged, compelled, contracted, held, pledged, sworn to, under contract, engaged; see also bound 2.
Antonyms free*, unconstrained, exempt.
Capable of assuming responsibility
trustworthy, trusty, reliable, capable, efficient, loyal, faithful, dutiful, dependable, conscientious, tried, self-reliant, able, competent, qualified, effective, upright, honest, firm, steadfast, steady, stable, rational, mature.
Antonyms irresponsible*, capricious, unstable.
responsible applies to one who has been delegated some duty or responsibility by one in authority and who is subject to penalty in case of default who is responsible for filing the reports?; answerable implies a legal or moral obligation for which one must answer to someone sitting in judgment not answerable for the crimes of one's parents; accountable implies liability for which one may be called to account you will be held accountable for anything you may say
See responsible in American Heritage Dictionary 4 Synonyms
responsible answerable liable accountable amenable
These adjectives share the meaning obliged to answer, as for one's actions, to an authority that may impose a penalty for failure. Responsible often implies the satisfactory performance of duties or the trustworthy care for or disposition of possessions: “I am responsible for the ship's safety” (Robert Louis Stevenson).
Answerable suggests a moral or legal responsibility subject to review by a higher authority: The court held the parents answerable for their minor child's acts of vandalism.
Liable may refer to a legal obligation, as to pay damages or to perform jury duty: Wage earners are liable to income tax.
Accountable especially emphasizes giving an account of one's discharge of a responsibility: “The liberal philosophy holds that enduring governments must be accountable to someone beside themselves” (Walter Lippmann).
Amenable implies being subject to the control of an authority and therefore the absence of complete autonomy: “There is no constitutional tribunal to which [the king] is amenable” (Alexander Hamilton).
See Also Synonyms at
reliable.
See responsible in Webster's New World Roget's A-Z Thesaurus II
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