answerability 1 of 2

as in accountability
willingness or obligation to explain one's actions or to admit being the cause of a problem Without any answerability to the people, the despot's actions were motivated by a desire for personal enrichment.

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

1
as in responsible
being the one who must meet an obligation or suffer the consequences for failing to do so you are answerable for your own conduct at all times

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

2

Synonym Chooser

How does the adjective answerable contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of answerable are accountable, amenable, liable, and responsible. While all these words mean "subject to being held to account," answerable suggests a relation between one having a moral or legal obligation and a court or other authority charged with oversight of its observance.

an intelligence agency answerable to Congress

Where would accountable be a reasonable alternative to answerable?

The synonyms accountable and answerable are sometimes interchangeable, but accountable suggests imminence of retribution for unfulfilled trust or violated obligation.

elected officials are accountable to the voters

How do amenable and liable relate to one another, in the sense of answerable?

Both amenable and liable stress the fact of subjection to review, censure, or control by a designated authority under certain conditions.

laws are amenable to judicial review
not liable for the debts of the former spouse

When can responsible be used instead of answerable?

The meanings of responsible and answerable largely overlap; however, responsible implies holding a specific office, duty, or trust.

the bureau responsible for revenue collection

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of answerability
Adjective
Woodrow Wilson, Teddy Roosevelt, Lyndon Johnson and Richard Nixon might all have been answerable to those charges, and that’s just limiting ourselves to the 20th century. Chris Stirewalt, The Hill, 7 Feb. 2025 Independent agencies cannot be both neutral and fair enforcers of the law and simultaneously only answerable to the president, Malloy said. Carrie Johnson, NPR, 12 Mar. 2025 Critics respond that their independent status undermines democratic principles, effectively creating a fourth branch of government that is answerable to no one. James Broughel, Forbes, 19 Feb. 2025 Lawmakers in Washington fear ByteDance is ultimately answerable to the Chinese government, which could make Americans' data and political views potentially vulnerable to a foreign adversary. Bobby Allyn, NPR, 13 Feb. 2025 See All Example Sentences for answerability
Recent Examples of Synonyms for answerability
Noun
  • In today's hybrid work environment, where top talent has endless options, consistent empathetic leadership—combining clear accountability with genuine care—creates the foundation for sustainable growth.
    Gregory Stebbins, Forbes.com, 29 May 2025
  • While some umbrella schools can help with recordkeeping and submitting state paperwork, most don’t provide academic oversight or accountability.
    Adrianna Rodriguez, USA Today, 29 May 2025
Adjective
  • Concerned meteorologists warn that the forecasts communities have come to depend on as their front line of defense against hurricanes could suffer this year, as the Weather Service remains chiefly responsible for predicting storms despite recently losing at least 10% of its workforce.
    Emily Mae Czachor, CBS News, 31 May 2025
  • Parker was responsible for batting in all four of the team's runs.
    Kilty Cleary, MSNBC Newsweek, 31 May 2025
Noun
  • Kansas City’s City Council voted unanimously in March for city employees to take on direct responsibility of animal control.
    Noelle Alviz-Gransee, Kansas City Star, 30 May 2025
  • In difficult moments Bruno is the guy who takes responsibility.
    Laurie Whitwell, New York Times, 30 May 2025
Adjective
  • However, the absence of formal requirements means that the owner of the sole proprietorship can be personally liable for the business’s debts and obligations, including tax bills and legal awards.
    Kelly Phillips Erb, Forbes.com, 6 June 2025
  • Your neighbor is liable for the damage caused by his leaking washing machine.
    Gary Singer, Sun Sentinel, 5 June 2025
Adjective
  • Is that feasible and also what the Trump administration is trying to do? Miran’s is a very important paper, with many interesting observations.
    George Calhoun, Forbes.com, 31 May 2025
  • Reese said that over 75% of the company’s resin material imports are sourced from Asia, and that replacing these suppliers with U.S.-based manufacturers was not a feasible option.
    Callum Sutherland, Time, 29 May 2025
Adjective
  • Some whole-berry cranberry supplements may offer modest benefits, but most lack the concentrated levels of the right active compounds—specifically 100% soluble proanthocyanidins (PACs)—needed for meaningful protection.
    Rhiannon Frater, USA Today, 3 June 2025
  • Other sources of soluble fiber include citrus, broccoli, peas, carrots, cucumbers, and celery.
    Lauren O'Connor, Health, 3 June 2025
Adjective
  • Jason Ritter plays Julian’s scenes in this episode with raw emotion, making the character’s choices more explicable, if not entirely forgivable.
    Noel Murray, Vulture, 18 Apr. 2025
  • An extraordinary and welcome event that is not explicable by natural or scientific laws, and is therefore attributed to a divine agency?
    Tim Spiers, New York Times, 14 Apr. 2025
Adjective
  • The lack of hitting at left field and at catcher should be solvable.
    Tom Krasovic, San Diego Union-Tribune, 18 May 2025
  • If not, work on easing two or three of the most solvable, despite not being the most important.
    Amy Lindgren, Twin Cities, 15 Mar. 2025

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Answerability.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/answerability. Accessed 12 Jun. 2025.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!