liability C2+ Topic:People & Society US /ˌlaɪəˈbɪləti/ UK /ˌlaɪəˈbɪləti/ See IPA manual Meanings 1 noun legal responsibility; also, a person or thing causing disadvantage The aging equipment had become a serious liability for the firm. Thesaurus Synonyms 1 noun · legal responsibility; also,... responsibilityobligationdebtburdendrawbackhandicapencumbrance ↔ Opposites assetadvantagebenefitimmunity Word family Forms liabilities Related forms liableliably Etymology AI details From liable (probably from Anglo-Norman lier, from Latin ligāre 'to bind') + the suffix -ity. ligāre Latin View etymology graph -> Topics People & Society Word Formation & Derivatives External links Cambridge Dictionary Wiktionary Google Images # liability **Type:** Word **Level:** C2+ **Part of speech:** noun **IPA (US):** /ˌlaɪəˈbɪləti/ **IPA (UK):** /ˌlaɪəˈbɪləti/ ## Meanings 1. legal responsibility; also, a person or thing causing disadvantage ## Examples - The aging equipment had become a serious liability for the firm. ## Synonyms - responsibility - obligation - debt - burden - drawback - handicap - encumbrance ## Antonyms - asset - advantage - benefit - immunity ## Related Forms - liable - liably ## Roots and Affixes - Root: ligāre ## Etymology From liable (probably from Anglo-Norman lier, from Latin ligāre 'to bind') + the suffix -ity. ## AI Etymology Liability is from liable (probably from Anglo-Norman lier, from Latin ligāre 'to bind') + the suffix -ity. Important recorded forms include ligāre (Latin). Morphologically, the word is a built form whose named elements carry part of the historical sense. Its deeper history remains uncertain, with proposed links left as possibilities rather than a single settled derivation. The current sense covers legal responsibility; also, a person or thing causing disadvantage. The wider family includes related words such as liable and liably. ## Topics - People & Society - Word Formation & Derivatives markdown