Standard Lemma guide

liability

noun · 9 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.

  • /laɪəˈbɪlɪti/
  • US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • CMU ARPABET: L AY2 AH0 B IH1 L IH0 T IY0 Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

noun

Meaning 1

An obligation, debt or responsibility owed to someone.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, uncountable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

An obligation, debt or responsibility owed to someone.

Any kind of debt recorded on the right-hand side of a balance sheet.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, uncountable

Topics: accounting, business, finance

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: asset

3

noun

Meaning 3

A handicap that holds something back, a drawback, someone or something that is a burden to whoever is required to take care of them; a person or action that exposes others to greater risk.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, uncountable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

4

noun

Meaning 4

A handicap that holds something back, a drawback, someone or something that is a burden to whoever is required to take care of them; a person or action that exposes others to greater risk.

A person on a team that is more of a hindrance than a help.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, derogatory, informal, mildly, uncountable

Examples

  • You're a bloody liability sometimes!

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

5

noun

Meaning 5

The likelihood of something happening.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, uncountable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

6

noun

Meaning 6

The condition of being susceptible to something.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, uncountable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

7

noun

Meaning 7

the quality of being something that holds you back

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: asset

Broader terms: bad, badness

Narrower terms: weak point, disadvantage

8

noun

Meaning 8

an obligation to pay money to another party

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: indebtedness, financial obligation

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: obligation

Narrower terms: limited liability, debt, arrears, account payable, payable, scot and lot

9

noun

Meaning 9

the state of being legally obliged and responsible

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: susceptibility, susceptibleness

Narrower terms: taxability, ratability, rateability

History

Etymology

Etymology tree English liable Proto-Indo-European *-teh2 Proto-Indo-European *-ts Proto-Indo-European *-teh2ts Latin -itāsder. Old French -itebor. Middle English -ite English -ity English liability From liable + -ity.

Across languages

Translations

93 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Bulgarian: дълг (dǎlg) — debt
  • Catalan: responsabilitat — debt
  • Chinese Mandarin: 負債 /负债 (fùzhài) — debt
  • Chinese Mandarin: 債務 /债务 (zhàiwù) — debt
  • Czech: pasivum — debt
  • Dutch: aansprakelijkheid — debt
  • Finnish: vastuu — debt
  • Finnish: vastuunalaisuus — debt
  • Finnish: velka — debt
  • French: responsabilité — debt
  • French: dette — debt
  • Georgian: პასუხისმგებლობა (ṗasuxismgebloba) — debt
  • Georgian: ვალდებულება (valdebuleba) — debt
  • Georgian: დავალიანება (davalianeba) — debt
  • Georgian: ვალი (vali) — debt
  • German: Schuld — debt
  • German: Schulden — debt
  • German: Verbindlichkeit — debt
  • Hungarian: passzíva — debt
  • Hungarian: passzívum — debt
  • Hungarian: tartozás — debt
  • Hungarian: adósság — debt
  • Hungarian: kintlevőség — debt
  • Hungarian: elkötelezettség — debt
  • Italian: responsabilità — debt
  • Japanese: 負債 (fusai) — debt
  • Japanese: 借金 (shakkin) — debt
  • Malayalam: ബാധ്യത (bādhyata) — debt
  • Māori: kawenga — debt
  • Māori: pūnama — debt
  • Mongolian: өглөг (öglög) — debt
  • Persian: مسئولیت — debt
  • Polish: odpowiedzialność — debt
  • Portuguese: responsabilidade — debt
  • Portuguese: obrigação — debt
  • Portuguese: dívida — debt
  • Romanian: responsabilitate — debt
  • Russian: обяза́тельство (objazátelʹstvo) — debt
  • Russian: долг (dolg) — debt
  • Russian: задо́лженность (zadólžennostʹ) — debt
  • Russian: пасси́в (passív) — debt
  • Swedish: skuld — debt
  • Tagalog: sagutin — debt
  • Telugu: అప్పు (appu) — debt
  • Turkish: borç — debt
  • Ukrainian: заборго́ваність (zaborhóvanistʹ) — debt
  • Ukrainian: борг (borh) — debt
  • Bulgarian: задължение (zadǎlženie) — responsibility, obligation — see also responsibility, obligation, imputability
  • Bulgarian: отговорност (otgovornost) — responsibility, obligation — see also responsibility, obligation, imputability
  • Finnish: velvollisuus — responsibility, obligation — see also responsibility, obligation, imputability
  • German: Verbindlichkeit — responsibility, obligation — see also responsibility, obligation, imputability
  • German: Verpflichtung — responsibility, obligation — see also responsibility, obligation, imputability
  • German: Verantwortung — responsibility, obligation — see also responsibility, obligation, imputability
  • Hindi: उत्तरदायित्व (uttardāyitva) — responsibility, obligation — see also responsibility, obligation, imputability
  • Hindi: दायित्व (dāyitva) — responsibility, obligation — see also responsibility, obligation, imputability
  • Hungarian: felelősség — responsibility, obligation — see also responsibility, obligation, imputability
  • Hungarian: kötelezettség — responsibility, obligation — see also responsibility, obligation, imputability
  • Hungarian: felelősségvállalás — responsibility, obligation — see also responsibility, obligation, imputability
  • Hungarian: kötelezettségvállalás — responsibility, obligation — see also responsibility, obligation, imputability
  • Malayalam: ബാധ്യത (bādhyata) — responsibility, obligation — see also responsibility, obligation, imputability
  • Māori: kawenga (a te ture) — responsibility, obligation — see also responsibility, obligation, imputability
  • Finnish: vieras pääoma — (accounting) any debt recorded on the right-hand side of a balance sheet
  • Finnish: taakka — handicap, drawback, or burden — see also burden, drawback, danger
  • Finnish: rasite — handicap, drawback, or burden — see also burden, drawback, danger
  • German: Nachteil — handicap, drawback, or burden — see also burden, drawback, danger
  • German: Hindernis — handicap, drawback, or burden — see also burden, drawback, danger
  • German: Handicap — handicap, drawback, or burden — see also burden, drawback, danger
  • Hungarian: teher — handicap, drawback, or burden — see also burden, drawback, danger
  • Hungarian: tehertétel — handicap, drawback, or burden — see also burden, drawback, danger
  • Hungarian: baj — handicap, drawback, or burden — see also burden, drawback, danger
  • Hungarian: gond — handicap, drawback, or burden — see also burden, drawback, danger
  • Hungarian: nehézség — handicap, drawback, or burden — see also burden, drawback, danger
  • Hungarian: hátrány — handicap, drawback, or burden — see also burden, drawback, danger
  • Malayalam: ബാധ്യത (bādhyata) — handicap, drawback, or burden — see also burden, drawback, danger
  • Spanish: lastre — handicap, drawback, or burden — see also burden, drawback, danger
  • Spanish: estorbo — handicap, drawback, or burden — see also burden, drawback, danger
  • Spanish: rémora — handicap, drawback, or burden — see also burden, drawback, danger
  • Finnish: todennäköisyys — likelihood of an event
  • Finnish: mahdollisuus — likelihood of an event
  • Georgian: შესაძლებლობა (šesaʒlebloba) — likelihood of an event
  • Georgian: მოსალოდნელობა (mosalodneloba) — likelihood of an event
  • Georgian: ალბათობა (albatoba) — likelihood of an event
  • German: Möglichkeit — likelihood of an event
  • German: Wahrscheinlichkeit — likelihood of an event
  • Hungarian: valószínűség — likelihood of an event
  • Hungarian: esély — likelihood of an event
  • Portuguese: possibilidade — likelihood of an event
  • Russian: возмо́жность (vozmóžnostʹ) — likelihood of an event
  • Swedish: belastning — likelihood of an event
  • Finnish: alttius — the condition of being susceptible to something — see also susceptibility, propension, predisposition
  • German: Anfälligkeit — the condition of being susceptible to something — see also susceptibility, propension, predisposition
  • German: Empfänglichkeit — the condition of being susceptible to something — see also susceptibility, propension, predisposition
  • Hungarian: hajlam — the condition of being susceptible to something — see also susceptibility, propension, predisposition
Real reading context

liability in complete knowledge articles