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accountable

uh-KOWN-tuh-buhl /əˈkaʊntəbəl/

adjectiveB2SATACTTOEFLIELTS

professionalacademiclegal

Required or expected to justify actions or decisions; responsible for the ultimate outcome.

Unlike 'responsible,' which can refer to a task you perform, 'accountable' means you are the one who must answer for the final success or failure of that task.

The story behind the word. From Old French 'aconter' (to reckon), which traces back to the Latin 'computare' (to calculate). It originally meant literally 'capable of being calculated or answered for.' By the 16th century, it shifted from literal bookkeeping to moral and professional responsibility.

Word relationships

responsible: Responsible refers to the duty to perform a task, while accountable refers to the duty to answer for the final outcome.
liable: Liable has a strictly legal connotation, usually involving financial or legal penalties, whereas accountable is broader and can be moral or professional.

unaccountable: Not required to explain or justify one's actions; completely free from oversight.
exempt: Free from an obligation or liability that others are subject to.

Commonly confused with

responsible: You can delegate responsibility (the work), but you cannot delegate accountability (the blame or praise for the final result).

Word family

accountability (noun): The state of being accountable; liability to give an account of one's conduct.
accountably (adverb): In an accountable manner.

Collocations

held accountable
personally accountable
accountable for

Idioms & expressions

where the buck stops

Example sentences

"The CEO is ultimately accountable to the board of directors for the company's financial performance." Corporate Governance
"In a truly democratic society, public officials must be held accountable to the citizens who elected them." Political Philosophy

Memory hook

Think of an 'accountant' who must 'account' for every single penny. If the numbers don't match, they are held 'accountable' for the error. Accountants must account for every cent; they are accountable.

When not to use

Do not use to describe a simple physical action or a task that has no element of evaluation or consequence.

Fun facts

The word 'accountable' was rarely used in political discourse before the 1970s, but it has since exploded in popularity as a corporate buzzword.

Related words

answerable, obligation

Explore more words

accountability, liability, take responsibility, delegate, governance, culpability