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Responsibility

n. thoughtful, capable professional

What it means

A duty carried with ownership of the work and its consequences.

Reach for it when naming what someone is trusted or expected to handle

Marisol accepted responsibility for checking that every guest had a safe route home.

Words to choose between 8

By register, from playful at the top to literary at the bottom. Tap a word to see when it fits.
warm
professional
formal

  • warm

    stewardship

    Fits when care for a shared or inherited resource is the duty

    Careful It is too values-laden for a routine task or personal error.

  • warm

    trust

    Fits when responsibility is an honor placed in someone's confidence

    Careful Trust describes the relationship, not the specific work to be done.

  • professional

    accountability

    Fits when answerability for results and mistakes matters

    Careful Accountability concerns being called to account, not the whole work entrusted.

  • professional

    ownership

    Fits when initiative and follow-through go beyond formal assignment

    Careful Use responsibility when legal or role-based duty matters more than attitude.

  • professional

    remit

    Fits when defining the official scope of a role

    Careful It maps boundaries but does not imply personal ownership of consequences.

  • formal

    charge

    Fits when a person or thing has been placed in someone's care

    Careful Charge stresses custody and can sound old-fashioned outside formal contexts.

  • formal

    duty

    Fits when an assigned or moral requirement is central

    Careful Duty may be imposed, while responsibility can also be willingly claimed.

  • formal

    obligation

    Fits when a binding promise, rule, or debt compels action

    Careful It can sound burdensome and lacks the positive trust of responsibility.

Opposites 3

  • irresponsibility
  • neglect
  • exemption

Common phrases 3

  • take responsibility

    Jae chose to take responsibility before anyone assigned blame.

  • shared responsibility

    Keeping the footpath clear became a shared responsibility across the block.

  • position of responsibility

    The apprenticeship grew into a position of responsibility within six months.

Word family 2

Definitions and examples are written for this site. How words are chosen Recording: Dvortygirl, California accent, from Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0 Updated