Definition

Noun: A personal awareness and acknowledgment of one's duties, commitments, or obligations, and the feeling of being accountable for fulfilling them.

Usage

This noun phrase describes an internal feeling or understanding that one must act in a reliable and dependable way. It is a positive character trait. * It is often used with verbs like have, feel, show, demonstrate, lack, or develop. * It can be modified by adjectives like strong, deep, great, keen, or social.

Examples

• She has a strong sense of responsibility toward her team.
• Parents try to instill a sense of responsibility in their children.
• He felt a deep sense of responsibility to help his community.
• The job requires a high degree of personal sense of responsibility.

Advanced Usage

• Collective/Shared sense of responsibility: A feeling of duty held by a group.
  • The project's success depended on a shared sense of responsibility among all departments.
• Moral/Ethical sense of responsibility: Duty based on moral principles.
  • Her decision was guided by a moral sense of responsibility.

Variants and Related Words

• Responsibility (n.): The state or fact of having a duty to deal with something. (This is the obligation itself, not the of it).
• Responsible (adj.): Having an obligation to do something, or having control over or care for someone.
• Accountability (n.): The fact or condition of being accountable; responsibility.

Synonyms

• Conscientiousness
• Dutifulness
• Reliability
• Accountability (Note: This emphasizes answerability for outcomes).

Antonyms

• Irresponsibility
• Negligence
• Unreliability

Related Idioms and Phrases

• To take/accept responsibility (for something): To admit that you caused something or have a duty to deal with it.
  • A good leader takes responsibility for both successes and failures.
• A burden of responsibility: A heavy or difficult duty.
  • He felt the burden of responsibility that came with his new title.

Noun

1. an awareness of your obligations