accountable

Meaning

1. 1adjectivecomparable

   Required or expected to explain actions or decisions and accept responsibility for them.

   Grammar: Usually follows be or describes a noun; the fuller pattern is accountable to someone for something.

   Patterns

   • accountable to someone
   • accountable for something
   • accountable to someone for something

   Every manager is accountable to the board for project spending.

   Parents feel accountable for their children's safety at the pool.

   An accountable government publishes clear reasons for new taxes.

Common combinations

hold someone accountable

Voters can hold elected officials accountable at the next election.

accountable to the public

A public hospital must remain accountable to the community it serves.

accountable for decisions

The committee is accountable for decisions about grant money.

fully accountable

The new system makes every purchase fully accountable.

Synonyms and how they differ

responsible

Responsible is broader and can mean having duty or causing something; accountable stresses explaining the result afterward.

answerable

Answerable is close and often formal; it highlights owing an explanation to a person or authority.

liable

Liable often suggests legal obligation or risk, while accountable is about giving reasons.

Opposites

Word family

accountability noun

The duty to explain actions and accept consequences.

accountably adverb

In a way that shows responsibility; relatively rare.

account verb

To consider, explain, or make up an amount in phrases like account for.

Commonly confused: accountable or responsible?

Practice

Make it your own

Write a sentence using “accountable”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

Explore more words