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Accountable means obligated to explain, justify, and take responsibility for one’s actions, and to answer to someone, such as a person with more authority.

The state of being accountable is accountability.

The word accountable is often used in the context of individuals taking responsibility for their actions. It’s also commonly used in the context of institutions or people that are responsible to the public, such as the government, its agencies, politicians, and the media. Accountability is often discussed with transparency and consequences. This typically involves keeping people and organizations accountable by making their actions visible and having consequences when those actions are not acceptable.

Accountable is often used with the verb hold, as in We need to hold him accountable for his actions.��

Example: The system of checks and balances is intended to keep the different branches of government accountable.

The first records of accountable come from the 1300s. Its base word, account, is often used as a verb meaning “to justify” or “to explain,” as in How do you account for your actions? To be accountable, then, is to be able to account for one’s actions.

You can’t keep people accountable without an account—meaning a record of what happened, or at least the knowledge of it. If actions are hidden, there can be no accountability for them. This means that holding a person—or oneself—accountable starts with honesty. Accountability in institutions and organizations starts with transparency (such as access to documents). Holding people accountable also involves establishing consequences. Otherwise, people and institutions would be free to do whatever they wanted—leading to corruption. In this way, accountability usually involves methods intended to prevent too much power from being held in one place. For individuals, it often involves recognizing shortcomings (such as implicit bias) and working to overcome them.

What are some other forms related to accountable?

• accountability (noun)
• accountably (adverb)

What are some synonyms for accountable?

• responsible
• answerable
• dependable

What are some words that share a root or word element with accountable?��

• account
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What are some words that often get used in discussing accountable?

• personally
• government
• press
• media
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• transparency
• institution
• office

Accountable is used in the context of both organizations and individuals.

it’s not “cancel culture” if people are being held accountable for their actions.

— Logan (@loganahobson)

EVERYONE should feel safe playing games and EVERYONE should feel safe MAKING games, and art, and film, and comics, and anyone who makes these industries perilous for women, LGBTQIA+ individuals, POC, ANYONE needs to be held accountable.

— RIOT HYLIΔ🏳️‍🌈 (@faeriefountain)

Normalize holding your friends accountable for their actions and stop turning a blind eye and making excuses for their toxic behavior. 💜

— SoaR Annialis 🏳️‍🌈 (@AnnialisXD)

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True or False?��

Being accountable usually requires transparency and consequences.