Word family noun responsibility ≠ irresponsibility adjective responsible ≠ irresponsible adverb responsibly ≠ irresponsibly
From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishresponsibilityre‧spon‧si‧bil‧i‧ty /rɪˌspɒnsəˈbɪləti $ rɪˌspɑːn-/ ●●● S2 W1 noun (plural responsibilities) 1 [uncountable]RESPONSIBLE a duty to be in charge of someone or something, so that you make decisions and can be blamed if something bad happens Kelly’s promotion means more money and more responsibility.+for The Minister has responsibility for the National Health Service.with responsibility for something a manager with responsibility for over 100 staffit is somebody’s responsibility to do something It’s your responsibility to inform us of any changes.2 [uncountable]RESPONSIBLE blame for something bad that has happened The firm is denying all responsibility. responsibility for No one wants to take responsibility for the problem. The surgeon accepted full responsibility for the error that led to her death. So far no one has claimed responsibility (=said that they are responsible) for the bombings.3 RESPONSIBLE[countable] something that you must do as part of your job or duty My responsibilities include answering the phone and dealing with customer enquiries.family/professional/parental etc responsibilities a single parent struggling to balance work and family responsibilities4 SENSIBLE[countable] something that you ought to do because it is morally or socially right SYN dutya responsibility to do something We all have a responsibility to protect the environment. Parents need to encourage a sense of responsibility in their children (=the ability to behave sensibly in a way that will not harm themselves or other people).moral/social/legal etc responsibility The company saw it as part of its social responsibility to provide education for its workers.5 → responsibility to somebody6 → do something on your own responsibility → diminished responsibilityCOLLOCATIONS – Meaning 1: a duty to be in charge of someone or something, so that you make decisions and can be blamed if something bad happensverbshave responsibility for (doing) somethingThe Council has responsibility for maintaining the streetlights.take responsibility for (doing) somethingWho do you trust to take responsibility for our country's defence?take on responsibility (also assume responsibility formal) (=start to have responsibility for something)These days men tend to take on more responsibility at home.The government must assume greater responsibility for the care of the elderly.shoulder responsibility (=agree to start having a difficult or unpleasant duty)The city, she said, would shoulder responsibility for caring for the children.shirk responsibility (=not accept a duty you should accept)He doesn't shirk responsibility.exercise responsibility formal (=take action because you have responsibility for something)The citizens of ancient Athens met here to exercise their responsibility to govern themselves.abdicate responsibility formal (=refuse to have responsibility for something you used to have responsibility for)The state should not allow parents to abdicate responsibility for their children.the responsibility lies with somebody (=they are responsible for it)Ultimate responsibility for admissions lies with the Course Co-ordinator.adjectivespersonal responsibilitySo far, no one had taken personal responsibility for the project.overall responsibilityThe Department of Education has overall responsibility for schools and universities.direct responsibility (=when no other person is involved)He has direct responsibility for all the programmes on Radio 1.sole responsibility (=not shared with others)The financial director has sole responsibility for financial matters.collective responsibility (=shared equally by a group of people)Head teachers should encourage a sense of collective responsibility among teachers.primary responsibility (=most important responsibility)I have primary responsibility for the children.ultimate responsibility (=responsibility for making a final decision)The National Assembly will have ultimate responsibility for ensuring that health targets are met.phrasesa burden of responsibility (=a lot of responsibility, that worries you)Being the only wage earner put a great burden of responsibility on my father.a position of responsibility (=a job in which people depend on you to tell them what they should do)Before the age of 21 he had attained a position of responsibility in the factory. COLLOCATIONS – Meaning 2: blame for something bad that has happenedverbsaccept/take responsibility for somethingTo his credit, he took responsibility for his actions.claim responsibility (for something) (=say that you are responsible for something bad)No group has yet claimed responsibility for the bombings.deny responsibility for somethingThe company denied responsibility for the oil spillage.bear responsibility for something (=be responsible for something bad)Developed countries must bear much of the responsibility for environmental problems.adjectivesfull responsibilityThe airline accepted full responsibility for the crash.personal responsibilityI take personal responsibility for what went wrong. Examples from the Corpus
responsibility• Do the media have a responsibility to make voters care about scandal?• Typically, managers focus on operating their area of assigned responsibility for efficiency, cost containment, and compliance with delivery schedules.• Having children is a big responsibility and I'm not sure I'm ready for that yet.• I have a bad habit of taking on more responsibilities than I can handle.• The house is my responsibility, and I can't just let it fall apart.• Nick has a lot of responsibilities at home.• Both of us were fully aware of our responsibilities.• It is a manger's responsibility to set clear expectations for his or her employees.• Also, each manager only had shift responsibility and so could not co-ordinate the work across shifts.• But being the head means he has to take some responsibility.• Professional librarians normally make only policy recommendations to the Library Committee, and this is the limit of their responsibility.• The children are your responsibility.with responsibility for something• The league was charged also with responsibility for collective security, so that individual states could embark on a programme of disarmament.• In London there are thirty-two London Boroughs, with responsibility for all the major services.• Two years later she gained paid work as an advocacy coordinator with responsibility for recruiting and training volunteers.• It has once again become a leading instrument of government, with responsibility for coordination, planning and implementation and conduct of policy.• In the various comments made by Lord Arran, as Minister with responsibility for agriculture, there are signs of this dilemma.• My hon. Friend the Minister with responsibility for immigration matters met a delegation from various refugee groups yesterday.• Teaching, communication and pastoral skills are also needed by those with responsibility for the training and direction of others.family/professional/parental etc responsibilities• Some fathers sincerely tried to become parents, sharing the home workload and parental responsibilities.• Lack of time was one factor, for many women now had work outside the home as well as family responsibilities.• Women had long been accustomed to taking time off from a career for family responsibilities, then retooling to come back.• With no further family responsibilities, she sold her house and joined a religious order, the Daughters of Mary.• And the hours are flexible, which makes it particularly attractive to women who have family responsibilities.• We talk of the individual consumer, individual professional responsibilities, individual responsibilities within the family, and so on.• Frequently, this is part-time and is managed - albeit with difficulty - alongside other family responsibilities.moral/social/legal etc responsibility• Each participating State will provide controls to ensure that such authorities fulfil their constitutional and legal responsibilities.• Put briefly, there developed an idea of the pervasive religious and moral responsibility of the ruler.• His legal responsibilities for issues such as extradition have also brought him into contact with senior legal and political figures in Ireland.• Along with the freedom of the press, there was also a heavy burden of social responsibility.• Their sense of social responsibility is to society at large.• Not a week goes by without a Bush speech on health, education, pensions or social responsibility.• The child, however, is a minor, the legal responsibility of his/her parents or guardians.From Longman Business Dictionaryresponsibilityre‧spon‧si‧bil‧i‧ty /rɪˌspɒnsəˈbɪlətirɪˌspɑːn-/ noun1[uncountable] when someone is officially in charge of something and has to make decisions about itresponsibility forIn his new post, he willassume responsibility for all the company’s radio and TV operations.2responsibilities [plural] all the things someone is in charge of in a particular job, position etcMy workload and responsibilities have increased more than my salary.3[uncountable] blame for something bad that has happenedresponsibility forAs chief executive, Iaccept responsibility for certain administrative problems.Lawyers for the airlinedenied anyresponsibility for the incident. 