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ACCOUNTABILITY

noun
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ac· count· abil· i· ty | \ ə-ˌkau̇n-tə-ˈbi-lə-tē How to pronounce accountability
(audio) \


DEFINITION OF ACCOUNTABILITY



: the quality or state of being accountable especially : an obligation or
willingness to accept responsibility or to account for one's actions public
officials lacking accountability



EXAMPLES OF ACCOUNTABILITY IN A SENTENCE

Recent Examples on the Web Carroll County commissioners voted 3-1 Thursday to
adopt a resolution creating a police accountability board. — Madison Bateman,
Baltimore Sun, 5 May 2022 Koenig said there has been a growing interest from
companies like Maxar and Planet in contributing their satellite imagery for
justice and accountability purposes in recent years. — NBC News, 3 May 2022
Milner is a tier four school — the highest tier — as identified by the state
Department of Education’s accountability index, which indicates the highest need
and most services. — Seamus Mcavoy, Hartford Courant, 2 May 2022
Office employees are held to a high standard of conduct and the department has
multiple accountability systems to address employee misconduct. — oregonlive, 2
May 2022 Develop a plan to transform poor behavior with accountability
structures. — Simone E. Morris, Forbes, 30 Apr. 2022 The department lacks
adequate accountability measures from top to bottom, the investigators found. —
New York Times, 27 Apr. 2022 The actions come as Biden faces pressure from
criminal justice advocates to take action on police accountability via executive
power after legislative efforts have failed. — Krista Johnson, The
Courier-Journal, 26 Apr. 2022 The actions come as Biden faces pressure from
criminal justice advocates to take action on police accountability via executive
power after legislative efforts have failed. — Joey Garrison, USA TODAY, 26 Apr.
2022
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These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news
sources to reflect current usage of the word 'accountability.' Views expressed
in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
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FIRST KNOWN USE OF ACCOUNTABILITY

1750, in the meaning defined above




HISTORY AND ETYMOLOGY FOR ACCOUNTABILITY

accountable + -ity




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THE FIRST KNOWN USE OF ACCOUNTABILITY WAS IN 1750

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DICTIONARY ENTRIES NEAR ACCOUNTABILITY

account

accountability

accountable

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STATISTICS FOR ACCOUNTABILITY

Last Updated

10 May 2022

Look-up Popularity

Top 1% of words

Cite this Entry

“Accountability.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster,
https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/accountability. Accessed 11 May.
2022.

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Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for accountability

Nglish: Translation of accountability for Spanish Speakers

Britannica English: Translation of accountability for Arabic Speakers

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about accountability

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