Standard Lemma guide

irresponsible

adj · noun · 4 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • UK: /ˌɪɹ.ɪˈspɒn.sə.bəl/
  • US: /ˌɪɹ.əˈspɑn.sə.bəl/
  • Australian: /ˌɪɹ.ɪˈspɔn.sə.bəl/
  • Australian: [ˌɪɹ.ɪˈspɔn.sə.bl̩]
  • Australia: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • CMU ARPABET: IH2 R AH0 S P AA1 N S AH0 B AH0 L Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

adj

Meaning 1

Not responsible; exempt from legal responsibility, not to be held accountable.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: archaic

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

adj

Meaning 2

Lacking a sense of responsibility; performed or acting as though without responsibility; negligent.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

noun

Meaning 3

Someone who is not responsible.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

4

adjective

Meaning 4

showing lack of care for consequences

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • behaved like an irresponsible idiot
  • hasty and irresponsible action

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: responsible

History

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *né Proto-Indo-European *n̥- Proto-Italic *n̥- Latin in- Latin ir- English ir- English responsible English irresponsible From ir- + responsible.

Across languages

Translations

67 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Central Bikol: urag-uragon — not responsible; not subject to responsibility
  • Bulgarian: не но́сещ отгово́рност (ne nósešt otgovórnost) — not responsible; not subject to responsibility
  • Catalan: irresponsable — not responsible; not subject to responsibility
  • Chinese Mandarin: 不負責任的 /不负责任的 (bù fù zérèn de) — not responsible; not subject to responsibility
  • Finnish: viaton — not responsible; not subject to responsibility
  • Finnish: syytön — not responsible; not subject to responsibility
  • Finnish: ei vastuussa — not responsible; not subject to responsibility
  • French: irresponsable — not responsible; not subject to responsibility
  • German: nicht verantwortlich — not responsible; not subject to responsibility
  • Greek: ανεύθυνος (anéfthynos) — not responsible; not subject to responsibility
  • Hungarian: felelősségre nem vonható — not responsible; not subject to responsibility
  • Irish: neamhfhreagrach — not responsible; not subject to responsibility
  • Italian: irresponsabile — not responsible; not subject to responsibility
  • Portuguese: irresponsável — not responsible; not subject to responsibility
  • Russian: не несу́щий отве́тственности (ne nesúščij otvétstvennosti) — not responsible; not subject to responsibility
  • Spanish: irresponsable — not responsible; not subject to responsibility
  • Swedish: oansvarig — not responsible; not subject to responsibility
  • Tagalog: alibugha — not responsible; not subject to responsibility
  • Turkish: mesul/sorumlu olmayan — not responsible; not subject to responsibility
  • Armenian: անպատասխանատու (anpatasxanatu) — lacking a sense of responsibility
  • Belarusian: безадка́зны (bjezadkázny) — lacking a sense of responsibility
  • Belarusian: безадпавяда́льны (bjezadpavjadálʹny) — lacking a sense of responsibility
  • Bulgarian: безотгово́рен (bezotgovóren) — lacking a sense of responsibility
  • Catalan: irresponsable — lacking a sense of responsibility
  • Chinese Mandarin: 不負責的 /不负责的 (bù fù zérèn de) — lacking a sense of responsibility
  • Chinese Mandarin: 不负责任的 (bù fù zérèn de) — lacking a sense of responsibility
  • Czech: nezodpovědný — lacking a sense of responsibility
  • Czech: neodpovědný — lacking a sense of responsibility
  • Danish: uansvarlig — lacking a sense of responsibility
  • Dutch: onverantwoordelijk — lacking a sense of responsibility
  • Finnish: vastuuton — lacking a sense of responsibility
  • French: irresponsable — lacking a sense of responsibility
  • Galician: irresponsable — lacking a sense of responsibility
  • Georgian: უპასუხისმგებლო (uṗasuxismgeblo) — lacking a sense of responsibility
  • German: verantwortungslos — lacking a sense of responsibility
  • German: unverantwortlich — lacking a sense of responsibility
  • Greek: ανεύθυνος (anéfthynos) — lacking a sense of responsibility
  • Hungarian: felelőtlen — lacking a sense of responsibility
  • Hungarian: meggondolatlan — lacking a sense of responsibility
  • Italian: irresponsabile — lacking a sense of responsibility
  • Japanese: 無責任な (musekinin na) — lacking a sense of responsibility
  • Korean: 무책임하다 (muchaegimhada) — lacking a sense of responsibility
  • Korean: 책임이 없는 (chaegimi eomneun) — lacking a sense of responsibility
  • Latvian: bezatbildīgs — lacking a sense of responsibility
  • Macedonian: неодговорен (neodgovoren) — lacking a sense of responsibility
  • Māori: hurori — lacking a sense of responsibility
  • Māori: mākahi — lacking a sense of responsibility
  • Marathi: बेजबाबदार (bej̈abābdār) — lacking a sense of responsibility
  • Norwegian Bokmål: ansvarsløs — lacking a sense of responsibility
  • Norwegian Bokmål: uansvarlig — lacking a sense of responsibility
  • Polish: nieodpowiedzialny — lacking a sense of responsibility
  • Polish: lekkomyślny — lacking a sense of responsibility
  • Portuguese: irresponsável — lacking a sense of responsibility
  • Romanian: iresponsabil — lacking a sense of responsibility
  • Russian: безотве́тственный (bezotvétstvennyj) — lacking a sense of responsibility
  • Serbo-Croatian: не̏одгово̄ран — lacking a sense of responsibility
  • Serbo-Croatian: nȅodgovōran — lacking a sense of responsibility
  • Slovak: nezodpovedný — lacking a sense of responsibility
  • Slovene: neodgovoren — lacking a sense of responsibility
  • Spanish: irresponsable — lacking a sense of responsibility
  • Swedish: ansvarslös — lacking a sense of responsibility
  • Swedish: oansvarig — lacking a sense of responsibility
  • Tagalog: kaalibughaan — lacking a sense of responsibility
  • Turkish: mesuliyetsiz — lacking a sense of responsibility
  • Turkish: sorumsuz — lacking a sense of responsibility
  • Ukrainian: безвідповіда́льний (bezvidpovidálʹnyj) — lacking a sense of responsibility
  • Vietnamese: vô trách nhiệm — lacking a sense of responsibility