Meaning & use

accountable

adjective·Academic

Required or expected to explain and take responsibility for one's actions or decisions.

See it in a sentence

Managers should be held accountable for the results of their team's decisions.

The new law makes companies more accountable for how they handle customer data.

A note on using this word

Accountable is typically followed by 'for' plus the action or result, and 'to' plus the person or body owed an explanation.

Words with a similar meaning

responsibleanswerable

Choose a synonym to suit the sentence. Meanings can overlap without being identical.

Words with an opposite meaning

unaccountable

Make it your own

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