accountable

adjective

ac·​count·​able ə-ˈkau̇n-tə-bəl How to pronounce accountable (audio)
Synonyms of accountablenext
1
: subject to giving an account : answerable
held her accountable for the damage
2
: capable of being explained : explainable
… leaving aside variations accountable as printer's errors …— Peter Shaw
accountableness
ə-ˈkau̇n-tə-bəl-nəs How to pronounce accountable (audio)
noun
accountably
ə-ˈkau̇n-tə-blē How to pronounce accountable (audio)
adverb

Synonyms

See All Synonyms & Antonyms in Thesaurus
Choose the Right Synonym for accountable

responsible, answerable, accountable, amenable, liable mean subject to being held to account.

responsible implies holding a specific office, duty, or trust.

the bureau responsible for revenue collection

answerable suggests a relation between one having a moral or legal obligation and a court or other authority charged with oversight of its observance.

an intelligence agency answerable to Congress

accountable suggests imminence of retribution for unfulfilled trust or violated obligation.

elected officials are accountable to the voters

amenable and liable stress the fact of subjection to review, censure, or control by a designated authority under certain conditions.

laws are amenable to judicial review
not liable for the debts of the former spouse

Examples of accountable in a Sentence

If anything goes wrong I will hold you personally accountable! the owner was held accountable for his dog's biting of the child
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
From holding major banks accountable for unfair practices to strengthening regulations that ensure fair access to credit, the CFPB has been a pillar of financial justice, particularly for Black, Latino, and low-income communities whom predatory financial institutions often target. — Lenwood V. Long, Sr., Forbes, 7 Mar. 2025 And, of course, there is voluminous finger-pointing over who, if anyone, will be held accountable. — Dan Walters, The Mercury News, 7 Mar. 2025 There is, however, a burgeoning non-violent movement to hold Musk accountable for his actions in government by materially weakening his company. — Miles Klee, Rolling Stone, 7 Mar. 2025 Among them, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission is the watchdog that Americans rely on to hold nuclear energy companies accountable for avoiding reactor accidents and releases of radioactive material into the environment. — Katy Huff, Scientific American, 6 Mar. 2025 See All Example Sentences for accountable

Word History

Etymology

Middle English accountable, accomptable, borrowed from Anglo-French acomptable, from acunter "to account entry 2" + -able -able

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of accountable was in the 15th century

Rhymes for accountable

See All Rhymes for accountable

Browse Nearby Words

accountable
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Accountable.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/accountable. Accessed 21 Mar. 2025.

Copy Citation

Share

Kids Definition

accountable

adjective
ac·​count·​able ə-ˈkau̇nt-ə-bəl How to pronounce accountable (audio)
1
: responsible for giving an account (as of one's acts)
will be held accountable
2
: capable of being accounted for : explainable
accountability
-ˌkau̇nt-ə-ˈbil-ət-ē
noun
accountably
-ˈkau̇nt-ə-blē How to pronounce accountable (audio)
adverb

Legal Definition

accountable

adjective
ac·​count·​able ə-ˈkau̇n-tə-bəl How to pronounce accountable (audio)
1
: liable
accountable for the burglary
2
: obliged to accept responsibility
the bank accountable for payment of the check
accountability
ə-ˌkau̇n-tə-ˈbi-lə-tē How to pronounce accountable (audio)
noun

More from Merriam-Webster on accountable

Nglish: Translation of accountable for Spanish Speakers

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

The Difference Between 'i.e.' and 'e.g.'

How to Use Em Dashes (—), En Dashes (–) , and Hyphens (-)

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?

More Commonly Misspelled Words
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

What do SCOTUS, POTUS, and FLOTUS mean?

Flower Etymologies For Your Spring Garden

More Words with Remarkable Origins

Terroir, Oenophile, & Magnum: Ten Words About Wine

8 Words for Lesser-Known Musical Instruments
See More

Popular Features

See More

The Difference Between 'i.e.' and 'e.g.'

What do SCOTUS, POTUS, and FLOTUS mean?

Flower Etymologies For Your Spring Garden
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Word Game Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
number-twelve-balloon
12-Letter Words Quiz A dozen words, a dozen letters each.
See All