Etymologically
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irresponsible

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Pronunciation

  • UK: /ˌɪɹ.ɪˈspɒn.sə.bəl/[1]
  • US: /ˌɪɹ.əˈspɑn.sə.bəl/[1]

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

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