irresponsible

Etymology

It is formed from English ir- + responsible, with the form of the negative prefix in- used before r.^[2][3][4][5] The base came Old French responsible and goes back to Latin respondeō (“to answer, promise in return”), from re- (“back”) and spondeō (“to pledge”).^[3] The OED notes that the variant irresponsable corresponds to French irresponsable.^[2]

Earliest recorded meaning

Not answerable for one's conduct; not liable to be called to account: 1649, in Milton's The Tenure of Kings and Magistrates;^[2] Merriam-Webster dates it to 1648 and Etymonline to the 1640s.^[4][3]

Semantic evolution

The first sense was a legal one: not answerable for one's conduct, not liable to be called to account.^[2][3] Etymonline dates the now usual sense, "not acting with a sense of responsibility, careless of consequences", to the 1680s,^[3] and the OED treats it as an extension of the first, describing people or acts lacking a sense of responsibility.^[2][5] The Century Dictionary of 1890 recorded the sense "unable to meet a legal obligation, insolvent",^[2] and the noun, an irresponsible person, appears in 1894.^[2]

Timeline

• 1640s – not legally answerable for one's conduct.^[3][4]
• 1649 – Milton, The Tenure of Kings and Magistrates.^[2]
• 1680s – lacking a sense of responsibility.^[3]
• 1890 – unable to meet a legal obligation, insolvent.^[2]
• 1894 – noun, an irresponsible person.^[2]

Meanings

Adjective

1. Not showing proper care for the consequences of one's actions; reckless: It was irresponsible to leave the gate open.^[6][4]
2. Not capable of bearing responsibility, as through youth or mental incapacity.^[6][2]
3. Not answerable to any higher authority for one's actions.^[6][4][2]
4. Not based on sound reasoning or judgment.^[4]

Noun

1. An irresponsible person.^[4][2]

Word family

• irresponsibility
• irresponsibly
• irresponsibleness

Related words

• responsible
• respond
• sponsor

References

1. ^ a b Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m Oxford English Dictionary Online (accessed March 2026), Oxford: Oxford University Press
3. ^ a b c d e f g Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
4. ^ a b c d e f g Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
5. ^ a b Shorter Oxford English Dictionary on Historical Principles (2002), 5th ed., ed. William R. Trumble and Angus Stevenson, Oxford: Oxford University Press
6. ^ a b c Collins English Dictionary (2023), Glasgow: HarperCollins