answerability

C2+ Topic:Abstract Ideas

US /ˌænsərəˈbɪlɪti/ UK /ˌɑːnsərəˈbɪlɪti/ See IPA manual

Meanings

1

noun
the state of being responsible or accountable to someone

Public office carries a strict answerability to the voters.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 noun · the state of being... accountability responsibility liability

Opposites

unaccountabilityirresponsibility

Word family

Related forms answer answerableanswerably

Etymology

From answerable + -ity, from answer (Old English andswaru, 'a reply, response') + -able.

andswaru Old English

View etymology graph ->

Topics

Abstract Ideas Word Formation & Derivatives

External links

# answerability

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C2+
**Part of speech:** noun
**IPA (US):** /ˌænsərəˈbɪlɪti/
**IPA (UK):** /ˌɑːnsərəˈbɪlɪti/

## Meanings
1. the state of being responsible or accountable to someone

## Examples
- Public office carries a strict answerability to the voters.

## Synonyms
- accountability
- responsibility
- liability

## Antonyms
- unaccountability
- irresponsibility

## Related Forms
- answer
- answerable
- answerably

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: andswaru

## Etymology
From answerable + -ity, from answer (Old English andswaru, 'a reply, response') + -able.

## AI Etymology
answerability comes from answerable + -ity, from answer (Old English andswaru, 'a reply, response') + -able. Morphologically, the word is transparent: -ity and -able is attached to the older base named in the history, so the modern form packages an inherited or borrowed stem inside a later English derivative. In modern use, the noun sense is "the state of being responsible or accountable to someone", which keeps the etymology connected to the word's present dictionary value rather than treating it as a merely historical label. The wider word family includes related English forms such as answer, answerable, answerably, showing how the same base continues to support neighboring English vocabulary. The principal historical forms in the chain include Old English andswaru, which anchor the explanation in named linguistic material.

## Topics
- Abstract Ideas
- Word Formation & Derivatives

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