responsibility

责任；对某事负责、承担义务或为结果担责的状态，也指具体要履行的职责。

💡 记忆钩子

把 responsibility 想成“手里接住一件事”：接住它，就有责任去完成；事情出了问题，也可能要为结果负责。因此它既可以指“负责的状态”，也可以指具体的“职责”，还可以指对某件事的“责任归属”。

📝 学习建议

先掌握“职责、应尽的责任”这一常用义，再理解“为结果担责”这一义项。
不要把 responsibility 只理解成“责任感”；它也常指具体的任务或职责，以及对错误或损失的责任。

📖 中文释义

noun

core 负责的状态

📖 指一个人对某事负有责任、需要作出交代的状态，重点是“这件事由谁负责”。它是一个总的概念，可以涵盖履行职责，也可以涵盖对结果负责。

💡 常见结构是“accept/take/full responsibility for + 事情”，表示接受、承担或完全承担责任。它通常作不可数名词使用，谈一般性的负责状态时不说复数；表达“由某人负责”时，注意后面通常接 for，而不是 to。

countable uncountable

She took full responsibility for the mistake.

她对这个错误承担了全部责任。

Responsibility for the project rests with the manager.

这个项目由经理负责。
common 对特定结果担责

📖 指某人被认为是某件事，尤其是错误、损失或不良结果的责任人，需要为它承担后果。这里的重点从“处于负责状态”进一步落到“这件事的责任算在谁身上”。

💡 常见结构是“share/bear responsibility for + 结果或问题”，表示分担或承担责任。这个义项常用于解释事故、错误和后果，正式程度可高可低；不要误以为它只表示法律上的有罪，因为日常语境中也可只是道德或实际责任。

countable uncountable

The two companies share responsibility for the delay.

两家公司都对这次延误负有责任。
core 具体职责或义务

📖 指某人被分配或应当履行的一项任务、义务或职责，就像“手里接住的一件事”。它不一定暗示已经出错，而是说明某人本来就应该负责完成什么。

💡 常见结构是“it is someone’s responsibility to do + 动作”或“someone’s responsibility is to do + 动作”。谈一项具体职责时可以用可数形式，但泛指责任时通常用不可数形式；不要把它仅理解为“工作”，因为其中还包含应尽义务和承担后果的意味。

countable uncountable

It is your responsibility to lock the door.

锁门是你的责任。

responsibilities plural

📘 英文释义 (WordNet) 共 3 组

the social force that binds you to the courses of action demanded by that force; ; - John D.Rockefeller Jr

同义词集: duty responsibility obligation

we must instill a sense of duty in our children

every right implies a responsibility; every opportunity, an obligation; every possession, a duty

下位: demand, guardianship, imperative, job, keeping, prerequisite, requirement, safekeeping

a form of trustworthiness; the trait of being answerable to someone for something or being responsible for one's conduct

同义词集: responsibility responsibleness

he holds a position of great responsibility

下位: accountability, answerability, answerableness, dependability, dependableness, fault, reliability, reliableness

the proper sphere or extent of your activities

同义词集: province responsibility

it was his province to take care of himself

上位: area, arena, domain, field, orbit, sphere

🌳 词源

由 responsible 加后缀 -ity 构成，虽然词素源自法语，但该词组合据考是在英语中形成的。

From responsible + -ity. Although the components are of French origin, the compound appears to have been formed in English. Later-attested French responsabilité is modeled on the English word, and Italian responsabilità is in turn modeled on the French.

🔄 变式

responsibilities plural

🏷 单词标签 & 词根