| a. | 1. | Liable to respond; likely to be called upon to answer; accountable; answerable; amenable; as, a guardian is responsible to the court for his conduct in the office. |
| 2. | Able to respond or answer for one's conduct and obligations; trustworthy, financially or otherwise; as, to have a responsible man for surety. | |
| 3. | Involving responsibility; involving a degree of accountability on the part of the person concerned; as, a responsible office. |
| Adj. | 1. | responsible - worthy of or requiring responsibility or trust; or held accountable; "a responsible adult"; "responsible journalism"; "a responsible position"; "the captain is responsible for the ship's safety"; "the cabinet is responsible to the parliament" Antonyms: irresponsible - showing lack of care for consequences; "behaved like an irresponsible idiot"; "hasty and irresponsible action" |
| 2. | responsible - being the agent or cause; "determined who was the responsible party"; "termites were responsible for the damage" Synonyms: responsible for | |
| 3. | responsible - having an acceptable credit rating; "a responsible borrower" Synonyms: creditworthy |