Responsibilities refers to duties or tasks that one is required or expected to perform, often within a job or role. It denotes the burden of accountability and the scope of work assigned or assumed, typically in professional or organizational contexts. The term encompasses multiple obligations and the need to manage them reliably over time.
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"She juggled several responsibilities at once, from project management to client communications."
"The nonprofit's responsibilities include fundraising, program development, and community outreach."
"He took on increased responsibilities after the team restructuring."
"Understanding your responsibilities helps set clear expectations with your manager and colleagues."
The word responsibilities derives from the Middle French responsabilite, ultimately from Latin respondere ‘to respond’ and ‘to promise or be answerable’ combined with the suffix -bilitas (from Latin -bilitas ‘ability’ or ‘state of being able’). In English, responsibility emerged in the 15th century, initially referring to accountability or the obligation to respond for one’s actions. Over time, its meaning broadened to include the set of duties attached to a role or position, especially in professional and organizational settings. The modern sense—tasks or duties associated with a job—solidified in the 19th and 20th centuries as social and corporate structures expanded, requiring explicit delineation of responsibilities in contracts, job descriptions, and governance documents. First known uses appear in legal and administrative contexts where individuals were described as bearing responsibilities for specified outcomes. The term has since become ubiquitous across business, education, and public service, frequently collocating with “scope,” “shared,” “dividing,” and “clear.”
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💡 These words have similar meanings to "responsibilities" and can often be used interchangeably.
🔄 These words have opposite meanings to "responsibilities" and show contrast in usage.
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Words that rhyme with "responsibilities"
-ies sounds
Practice with these rhyming pairs to improve your pronunciation consistency:
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Break it into re-SPON-si-BIL-i-ties (or rɪˌspɒnsəˈbɪlɪtiz in US). Primary stress falls on the third syllable: SPON. The sequence is /rɪ/ - /ˈspɒn/ - /sə/ - /ˈbɪl/ - /ɪ/ - /tiz/. Pay attention to the /ɒ/ in US vs /ɒ/ or /ɒː/ in UK; in fast speech it reduces to /rɪˌspɒn.səˈbɪl.ɪ.tiz/. Mouth position: start with a light /r/, then a rounded /ɒ/ vowel, then the nasal /n/ and the clear /s/ transition into /ə/ before /ˈbɪl/; finish with /ɪ/ and /tiz/.
Two frequent errors: (1) stressing the wrong syllable by saying re-SPON-si-BIL-i-ties or re-spawn-si-BIL-i-ties; (2) flattening the central vowels, producing /ˌrɛspɒn.səˈbɪlɪtiz/ instead of the natural /rɪˌspɒn.səˈbɪl.ɪ.tiz/. Also, some learners insert an extra syllable or mispronounce the -ties as /tiːz/; aim for /tiz/ with a light final voiceless /z/.
US: rɪˌspɑːnsəˈbɪlɪtiz with non-rhotic R. UK: rɪˌspɒnsəˈbɪlɪtiz; AU: similar to UK but with more vowel reduction and a slightly looser articulation; focus on the first vowel /ɪ/ or /ɒ/ depending on speaker. The main differences lie in /ɒ/ vs /ɑː/ quality, and rhoticity is typically non-rhotic in UK/AU; US keeps rhotic /r/ sound in all positions and uses a broader /ɑː/ for /ɒ/ in some speakers.
Due to multi-syllabic length, frequent syllable reduction, and a cluster of consonants around -sp-on-s- and -bil-it- sequences. The combination of /sp/ and /ns/ clusters, plus a non-final stressed syllable, makes natural rhythm tricky. The unstressed -i-ties suffix also reduces, so you must keep the final /tiz/ audible without over-articulating earlier vowels.
Treat it as re-SPON-si-BIL-i-ties; keep the main stress on SPON, ensure the /sp/ cluster after the initial /r/ is crisp, and clearly articulate the /bɪl/ sequence before the final /ɪtiz/. Practice speeding up from slow to natural pace, ensuring the final -ities sounds like /ɪtiz/ rather than /iːtiz/ or /ɪtəs/.
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