Meaning & use
responsibly
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Meanings
adverbnot comparable
In a sensible and dependable way that shows you understand the possible results of what you do.
Grammar: Goes after the verb it describes: drive responsibly; it usually stays in this form.
Patterns
- act responsibly
- behave responsibly
Teenagers are asked to use social media responsibly.
The company says it handles customer data responsibly.
Please drink responsibly and never drive afterward.
adverbnot comparable
In a way that treats the environment, people or resources fairly and with care for others.
Grammar: Often used in business and sustainability, placed before the participle: responsibly sourced wood.
Patterns
- responsibly sourced
- responsibly managed
The coffee is responsibly sourced from small farms.
The fishing fleet harvests the catch responsibly.
Responsibly managed forests can be used again and again.
Word forms
| comparative | more responsibly |
|---|---|
| superlative | most responsibly |
Common combinations
- drink responsibly
- The poster urged people to drink responsibly.
- act responsibly
- Adults should act responsibly around children.
- spend responsibly
- We are learning to spend responsibly on a small income.
- responsibly sourced
- The furniture is made from responsibly sourced timber.
- behave responsibly
- Everyone is expected to behave responsibly in the lab.
- use responsibly
- Use the equipment responsibly and return it clean.
Synonyms and how they differ
- sensibly
- Sensibly stresses good judgment, while responsibly adds the idea of owing something to other people.
- conscientiously
- Conscientiously stresses careful effort in doing your duty, while responsibly stresses awareness of consequences.
- maturely
- Maturely suggests an adult manner, where responsibly is more about duty.
- reliably
- Reliably describes something that can be depended on to work or arrive, while responsibly describes a person's choices.
Opposites
Word family
- responsible adjective
- in charge of something, or dependable
- responsibility noun
- a duty or something you are in charge of
- irresponsibly adverb
- in a careless way that ignores the consequences
- irresponsible adjective
- careless about duty or consequences
Commonly confused: responsibly or responsively?
responsibly vs responsively
Responsively means in a way that reacts quickly and well to what is needed or asked. Responsibly means in a dependable way that shows awareness of consequences.
Practice
The campaign encourages young people to use alcohol ___.
Choose one answer.
Responsibly is the adverb needed after use to mean in a sensible way. Responsible is an adjective, and responsively is a different word meaning reacting well.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “responsibly”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.