Irresponsible

How to spell irresponsible

13 letters · 5 syllables

How to pronounce irresponsible

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does irresponsible mean?

1. adjectiveNot showing or done with proper care for consequences; failing to act in a sensible or trustworthy way.

Irresponsible in a sentence

• Leaving the children unsupervised by the pool was utterly irresponsible.

• Spending the entire deposit on a holiday was an irresponsible financial decision.

Where does irresponsible come from?

Language of origin: Latin

This word ultimately traces back to the Latin verb respondere, which literally meant 'to pledge in return' or 'to answer', formed from re- ('back') and spondere ('to pledge or promise'). From respondere came the idea of being answerable, that is, having to give an account of oneself, which produced the adjective 'responsible' in English during the 1500s. The negative form 'irresponsible' was assembled later, in the 1600s, by attaching the Latin negative prefix in- (meaning 'not'), which assimilates to ir- before an 'r' so that the spelling doubles the r into 'irr-'. That assimilation is the very thing the spelling traps spring from: writers forget the double r at the front. The same spondere root still surfaces in everyday relatives such as 'sponsor', 'respond' and 'spouse', all of which carry the old sense of a solemn promise.

How the word is built

• ir- (not)
• re- (back)
• spons (from Latin spondere: to pledge or promise)
• -ible (capable of, adjective suffix)