Responsible

How to spell responsible

11 letters · 4 syllables

How to pronounce responsible

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does responsible mean?

1. adjectiveHaving a duty to deal with something, or being the cause of and answerable for an outcome.
2. adjectiveCapable of being trusted to act sensibly and reliably.

Responsible in a sentence

• The manager is responsible for approving every expense claim.

• They hired a responsible assistant who never missed a deadline.

• Faulty wiring was responsible for the fire in the warehouse.

• A responsible driver always checks the mirrors before pulling out.

Where does responsible come from?

Language of origin: Latin

The word traces back to the Latin verb respondere, meaning 'to answer' or 'to respond', which itself joins re- 'back' with spondere 'to pledge, promise, or vow solemnly'. The literal idea was of answering back or matching a pledge, and from this grew the notion of being answerable for one's actions. English took the word in the early 1500s by way of French responsable, originally with the sense of 'answerable, accountable'. The same spondere root underlies a surprising family of English words, including 'sponsor', 'spouse', and 'respond', all carrying a thread of promising or pledging. The spelling trap is the ending: because it descends from a Latin -ibilis form rather than -abilis, it takes -ible, not the more common -able, which is exactly where careful adults slip.

How the word is built

• re- (back)
• spons (from spondere: to pledge or promise)
• -ible (capable of, adjective suffix)