accountable

accountable — adjective

1. having a duty to take responsibility for your actions or decisions, and to give

1.形容詞C2
釋義

having a duty to take responsibility for your actions or decisions, and to give a clear reason for them when someone in authority asks — for example, a teacher who must justify a grade, or a minister who must explain a policy choice.

例句

School principals are accountable to parents for the safety of every child on campus.

accountable to [person] for [thing]

Voters want politicians to be held accountable for the promises they make during elections.

passive: be held accountable for [thing]

同義詞
  • responsible

    broader and more everyday; 'responsible' covers both having a duty and being the cause, while 'accountable' stresses the duty to explain.

  • answerable

    near-synonym, slightly less formal; common in 'answerable to a boss' but rarer in legal or political writing.

  • liable

    stresses legal or financial obligation to pay or be punished, not the duty to give reasons.

反義詞
  • unaccountable

    directly opposite — not required to explain or justify actions.

文法句型

accountable to someone

accountable for something

hold someone accountable

用法筆記

Almost always used in a context of authority or oversight — the person or body you answer to is named or implied. Frequently appears in the passive structure 'be held accountable' and in collocations with 'directly', 'fully', 'publicly'. Rarely used before a noun (predicative more than attributive).

常見錯誤

❌He is accountable about the mistake.
✅He is accountable for the mistake.
💡use 'for' before the thing you must answer for, not 'about'.
❌The manager is accountable with the shareholders.
✅The manager is accountable to the shareholders.
💡use 'to' before the person or body you must answer to.