accountable

C1 Topic:Communication

US /əˈkaʊntəbl̩/ See IPA manual

adj Freq #12934

Meanings

1

adj
Responsible for your actions and expected to explain or justify them.

Managers must be accountable for the decisions they make.
2

adj
Able to be explained or understood.

The strange noise was finally accountable once we found the loose pipe.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 adj · responsible for your... answerable responsible

2 adj · able to be explained or... explicableexplainable

More amenable liable

Word family

Derived forms accountability accountablenessaccountablynonaccountableunaccountable

Etymology

From account + -able. First attested around 1400.

Topics

Communication Word Formation & Derivatives

# accountable

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C1
**Part of speech:** adj
**IPA (US):** əˈkaʊntəbl̩
**Frequency rank:** 12934

## Meanings
1. Responsible for your actions and expected to explain or justify them.
2. Able to be explained or understood.

## Examples
- Managers must be accountable for the decisions they make.
- The strange noise was finally accountable once we found the loose pipe.

## Synonyms
- amenable
- answerable
- liable
- responsible

## Derived Forms
- accountability
- accountableness
- accountably
- nonaccountable
- unaccountable

## Etymology
From account + -able. First attested around 1400.

## AI Etymology
Accountable is from account + -able. First attested around 1400. The analysis is mainly morphological: the modern adjectival form is built from the named base and affix. Current senses include responsible for your actions and expected to explain or justify them and able to be explained or understood. The wider family includes derived forms such as accountability, accountableness, accountably, nonaccountable, and unaccountable.

## Topics
- Communication
- Word Formation & Derivatives

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accountable

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