Copyright © Philip M. Parker, INSEAD. Terms of Use.
Definition: Accountability |
AccountabilityNoun1. Responsibility to someone or for some activity. Source: WordNet 1.7.1 Copyright © 2001 by Princeton University. All rights reserved. |
Date "accountability" was first used in popular English literature: sometime before 1840. (references) |
| Domain | Definitions |
Satire | ACCOUNTABILITY, n. The mother of caution. "My accountability, bear in mind," Said the Grand Vizier: "Yes, yes," Said the Shah: "I do -- 'tis the only kind Of ability you possess." Joram Tate. Source: Devil's Dictionary. |
Economics | The obligation of a subordinate to answer to his superior for the exercice of authority in line with his delegated responsibility, for the performance of duties assigned to him. Source: European Union. (references) |
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | |
(From Wikipedia, the free Encyclopedia)
Accountability classically appears (or should appear) in the ambit of accountancy.
In politics, and particularly in representative democracies, accountability (sometimes known as transparency) is an important factor in securing good governance. It constrains the extent to which elected representatives and other office-holders can willfully deviate from their theoretical responsibilities, thus reducing corruption.
See also: campaign finance reform.
Source: adapted by the editor from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia under a copyleft GNU Free Documentation License (GFDL) from the article "Accountability."
Synonyms: AccountabilitySynonyms: answerability (n), answerableness (n). (additional references) |
| Context | Synonyms within Context (source: adapted from Roget's Thesaurus). |
Duty | Noun: duty, what ought to be done, moral obligation, accountableness, liability, onus, responsibility; bounden duty, imperative duty; call, call of duty; accountability. |
| Source: adapted from Roget's Thesaurus. | |
Crosswords: Accountability |
| English words defined with "accountability": Accountable ness ♦ Impeachment of waste, inspector general. (references) |
| Specialty definitions using "accountability": Agricultural Research, Extension, and Education Reform Act of 1998 ♦ Coordinated review effort ♦ Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act ♦ Individual Accountability, Intergenerational Relations ♦ Liability, Legal ♦ Montreal Protocol ♦ Rules of Behavior ♦ Social Responsibility. (references) |
| Domain | Usage | |
Screenplays | Easy. I think of a man, and I take away reason and accountability. (As Good As It Gets; writing credit: Mark Andrus) | |
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | ||
| Domain | Title | ||
Books |
| ||
Periodicals |
| ||
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | |||
| Author | Date | Quotation |
Winston S. Churchill | 1946 | For with primacy in power is also joined an awe-inspiring accountability to the future. ("Iron Curtain" Speech) |
Source: compiled by the editor from various references. | ||
| Subject | Topic | Quote |
Health | Accountability must be based on some type of outcomes system that permits innovation while maintaining quality. (references) | |
Desirable characteristics of such programs are sponsorship that ensures accountability to the interests of consumers and stable, adequate funding. (references) | ||
Addiction is viewed in the context of an individual's social and psychological deficits, and treatment focuses on developing personal accountability and responsibility and socially productive lives. (references) | ||
Business | There are many ongoing efforts to reform the Czech procurement system, which has been criticized for lacking transparency and accountability. (references) | |
Children | Pakistan | Public health administration suffers from poor management, lack of accountability, unreliable or falsified statistics, and lack of cooperation among agencies. (references) |
Civil Liberties | Pakistan | The focus apparently was on potential loan defaulters as part of the Musharraf Government's emphasis on accountability. (references) |
Macau | Government officials claim that the local press has grown more aggressive about demanding accountability from public officials since the handover. (references) | |
Economic History | Peru | Reports of torture, and the lack of accountability and due process remain areas of concern. (references) |
Bahamas | The current Government was elected in 1992 on a platform of accountability and transparency. (references) | |
Rwanda | An autonomous revenue authority also has begun operation, improving collections and accountability. (references) | |
Human Rights | Honduras | Public accountability or official sanction for misconduct is minimal. (references) |
Brazil | Lack of accountability and an inefficient criminal justice system allow impunity to continue. (references) | |
India | The Bihar government has not been responsive to NHRC directives and reports addressing police training and accountability. (references) | |
Indigenous People | Canada | Professional development and fiscal accountability projects further support indigenous self-governance. (references) |
Political Economy | Bulgaria | Problems of accountability persisted and inhibited government attempts to address police abuses. (references) |
Bulgaria | Although government control over the police is improving, it still is not sufficient to ensure full accountability. (references) | |
Political Rights | Tonga | However, in recent years, a number of persons both inside and outside the establishment have called for democratic change, usually emphasizing the importance of more government accountability. (references) |
Pakistan | Legal observers expressed concern over the concentration of power in the NAB, the fact that NAB chairmen have all been members of the military, and the presumption of guilt in accountability cases. (references) | |
Syria | The President and his senior aides, particularly those in the military and security services, ultimately make most basic decisions in political and economic life, with a very limited degree of public accountability. (references) | |
Trade | Ukraine | Focusing on (i) financial discipline, (ii) improving the regulatory framework, (iii) transparent definition and protection of property rights, (iv) public sector accountability, and (v) social sustainability. (references) |
Worker Rights | China | The economic benefits that penal institutions may receive from prisoners' work and the inconsistent application of standards of official accountability increase the chance that some prison labor may be coercive or even abusive. (references) |
Source: compiled by the editor from ICON Group International, Inc.; see credits. | ||
| Speaker | Term | Phrase(s) |
James Monroe | 1817-1825 | A system of economy and accountability has been introduced into every branch of the service which admits of little additional improvement. |
Andrew Jackson | 1829-1837 | Powerful auxiliaries to the attainment of this desirable end are to be found in the regulations provided by the wisdom of Congress for the specific appropriation of public money and the prompt accountability of public officers. |
James K. Polk | 1845-1849 | From those officers, especially, who are charged with the collection and disbursement of the public revenue will prompt and rigid accountability be required. |
Ulysses S. Grant | 1869-1877 | To this should be added a faithful collection of the revenue, a strict accountability to the Treasury for every dollar collected, and the greatest practicable retrenchment in expenditure in every department of Government. |
Jimmy Carter | 1977-1981 | We also need clear and quick passage of a new charter to define the legal authority and accountability of our intelligence agencies. |
Bill Clinton | 1993-2001 | My Education Accountability Act will require every school district receiving federal help to take the following five steps. |
George W. Bush | 2001-2005 | Accountability for results is now the law of the land. |
Source: compiled by the editor from various references. | ||
| "Accountability" is generally used as a noun (singular) -- approximately 99.83% of the time. "Accountability" is used about 1,161 times out of a sample of 100 million words spoken or written in English. Its rank is based on over 700,000 words used in the English language. Some parts-of-speech are not covered due to the samples used by the British National Corpus. (note: percents less than one-hundredth of one percent have been omitted) |
| Parts of Speech | Percent | Usage per 100 Million Words | Rank in English |
| Noun (singular) | 99.83% | 1,159 | 6,637 |
| Noun (proper) | 0.09% | 1 | 339,140 |
| Noun (common) | 0.09% | 1 | 339,140 |
| Total | 100.00% | 1,161 | N/A |
Source: compiled by the editor from several corpora; see credits.
Expressions using "accountability": Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act ♦ temperature accountability ♦ wind accountability. Additional references. | |
| Hypenated Usage | |
Ending with "accountability": non-accountability, planning-control-accountability, priorities-accountability, teacher-accountability. | |
| Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | |
| The following statistics estimate the number of searches per day across the major English-language search engines as identified by various trade publications. Hyperlinks lead to commercial use of the expression at Amazon.com. |
| Expression | Frequency per Day |
accountability | 105 |
accountability teacher | 29 |
management accountability | 26 |
accountability.org bishop | 26 |
accountability marketing | 18 |
corporate accountability | 17 |
accountability age | 17 |
personal accountability | 13 |
accountability government management risk | 13 |
accountability education | 12 |
| Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | |
| Language | Translations for "accountability"; alternative meanings/domain in parentheses. | |
Albanian | përgjegjësi (blame, charge, cognizance, fault, hand, hands, onus, responsibility). (various references) | |
Arabic | المسئولية (responsibility). (various references) | |
Bulgarian | отговорност (amenability, blame, care, charge, job, liability, look out, responsibility, trust), подотчетност. (various references) | |
Chinese | 责任 (Duties, liabilities, liability, Onus, responsibility). (various references) | |
Czech | povinnost zodpovídat se, odpovìdnost (account, liability, responsibility). (various references) | |
French | responsabilité, comptes rendre. (various references) | |
German | verantwortlichkeit (accountableness, liability, responsibility). (various references) | |
Greek | ευθύνη (blame, liability, liableness, responsibility). (various references) | |
Hungarian | számadási kötelezettség, felelősség (blame, liability, responsibility, trust), elszámolási kötelezettség (account). (various references) | |
Indonesian | pertanggungjawaban (liability, responsibility). (various references) | |
Italian | responsabilita/ (accountabilities, accountableness), responsabilit (amenability, answer, blame, care, liabilities, liability, responsibility). (various references) | |
Japanese Kanji | アウ 真理教 (acacia, academia, academy, account, accounting, Aeroflot, Aum Shinrikyou religious group, aura, owl). (various references) | |
Japanese Katakana | アカウンタ"リティー . (various references) | |
Korean | 출납책임. (various references) | |
Manx | freggyrtys (accordance, accountableness, answerableness, aptness, responibility). (various references) | |
Pig Latin | accountabilityay.(various references) | |
Portuguese | responsabilidade (amenability, blame, burden, liability, onward, responsibility, trust). (various references) | |
Romanian | responsabilitate (charge, duty, liability, responsibility), rãspundere (burden, duty, liability, onus, responsibility). (various references) | |
Russian | подотчетность (accountableness). (various references) | |
Serbo-Croatian | odgovornost (charge, liability, responsibility). (various references) | |
Spanish | responsabilidad (amenability, charge, liabilities, liability, responsibility, responsiveness, trust). (various references) | |
Swedish | ansvarighet (civil liability, liability, public liability, responsibility). (various references) | |
Turkish | sorumluluk (baby, blame, buck, burden, charge, control, custody, encumbrance, engagement, liability, load, office, onus, pidgin, place, responsibility, trust), mesuliyet (liability, responsibility). (various references) | |
Ukranian | відповідальність (amenability, answerableness, blame, liability, onus, responsibility, trust), підзвітність. (various references) | |
Vietnamese | trách nhiệm phải giải thích, trách nhiệm (blame, incumbency, onus). (various references) | |
| Source: compiled by the editor from various translation references. | ||
Derivations | |
Words ending with "accountability": unaccountability. (additional references) | |
| |
"Accountability" is suggested in spellcheckers for the following: accounability, accountibility, accoutability. (additional references) | |
| Source: compiled by the editor, based on several corpora (additional references). | |
| # of Phoneme Matches | Pronunciation | Word(s) rhyming with "accountability" (pronounced ukou"ntubi'lutē or ukou"nubi'lutē) |
| 4 | -l u t ē | ability, abnormality, acceptability, accessibility, actuality, adaptability, admissibility, advisability, affordability, agility, amiability, applicability, availability, banality, believability, bestiality, bisexuality, brutality, capability, causality, centrality, civility, collegiality, commonality, comparability, compatibility, comprehensibility, conditionality, confidentiality, congeniality, constitutionality, convertibility, credibility, credulity, criminality, criticality, culpability, cyclicality, debility, deductibility, deniability, dependability, desirability, dimensionality, disability, docility, duality, ductility, durability, electability, eligibility, enforceability, equality, eventuality, extraterritoriality, facility, fallibility, fatality, feasibility, fertility, fidelity, finality, flammability, flexibility, formality, fragility, frivolity, frugality, functionality, futility, generality, geniality, gentility, gullibility, heterosexuality, homosexuality, hospitality, hostility, humility, illegality, immobility, immorality, immortality, impartiality, impersonality, impossibility, inability, inaccessibility, incivility, incompatibility, incredulity, indestructibility, individuality, inequality, inevitability, infallibility, infertility, infidelity, inflexibility, informality, instability, instrumentality, invincibility, invisibility, invulnerability, irrationality, irresponsibility, irritability, legality, legibility, lethality, liability, liberality, locality, malleability, maneuverability, marketability, materiality, mentality, miscibility, mobility, modality, morality, mortality, motility, municipality, musicality, mutuality, nationality, neutrality, nobility, nonutility, normality, originality, palatability, partiality, permeability, personality, plausibility, plurality, polity, portability, possibility, practicality, predictability, principality, probability, profitability, proportionality, punctuality, quality, rationality, readability, reality, reliability, respectability, responsibility, seasonality, senility, sensibility, sensuality, sentimentality, sexuality, speciality, spirituality, stability, sterility, suitability, survivability, susceptibility, sustainability, technicality, theatricality, tonality, totality, tranquility, transferability, triviality, unavailability, universality, unpredictability, unreality, unreliability, utility, variability, venality, versatility, viability, virility, visibility, vitality, volatility, vulnerability. |
| 3 | -u t ē | absurdity, acidity, activity, acuity, adversity, affinity, aggressivity, alacrity, alkalinity, ambiguity, amenity, amity, analyticity, animosity, annuity, anonymity, antiquity, anxiety, atrocity, audacity, austerity, authenticity, authority, barbarity, biodiversity, brevity, calamity, capacity, captivity, cavity, celebrity, charity, chastity, clarity, commodity, community, complexity, complicity, conductivity, conformity, congruity, connectivity, continuity, creativity, crotchety, curiosity, deformity, deity, density, depravity, deputy, dexterity, dignity, discontinuity, disparity, dissimilarity, disunity, diversity, divinity, domesticity, duplicity, eccentricity, elasticity, electricity, enmity, enormity, entity, equanimity, equity, eternity, ethnicity, exclusivity, expressivity, extremity, falsity, familiarity, Felicity, femininity, ferocity, festivity, fluidity, fraternity, generosity, gratuity, gravity, heredity, heterogeneity, hilarity, homogeneity, humanity, humidity, hyperactivity, hypersensitivity, identity, illiquidity, immaturity, immunity, impropriety, impunity, impurity, inactivity, incapacity, incongruity, indemnity, indignity, inequity, inferiority, infinity, infirmity, ingenuity, inhumanity, insanity, insecurity, insensitivity, insularity, integrity, intensity, irregularity, laity, laxity, levity, liquidity, lividity, longevity, majority, masculinity, maternity, maturity, mediocrity, mendacity, minority, modernity, monstrosity, morbidity, multiplicity, nativity, necessity, negativity, Nonconformity, nonentity, notoriety, nudity, obesity, objectivity, obscenity, obscurity, oddity, opacity, opportunity, overcapacity, oversensitivity, parity, particularity, passivity, paternity, paucity, peculiarity, perpetuity, perplexity, perversity, piety, polarity, pomposity, popularity, posterity, priority, probity, proclivity, productivity, profanity, progressivity, promiscuity, propensity, propriety, prosperity, proximity, publicity, purity, quantity, radioactivity, rapidity, rarity, reactivity, receptivity, reciprocity, reflexivity, regularity, relativity, religiosity, retroactivity, rickety, rigidity, salinity, sanctity, sanity, scarcity, security, selectivity, seniority, sensitivity, serendipity, serenity, severity, similarity, simplicity, sincerity, sobriety, society, solemnity, solidarity, solidity, sorority, specificity, spontaneity, stupidity, subjectivity, superconductivity, superfluidity, superiority, supermajority, surety, temerity, tenacity, timidity, toxicity, Trinity, turbidity, ubiquity, unanimity, unfamiliarity, uniformity, unity, university, unpopularity, uppity, validity, vanity, variety, varsity, velocity, velvety, veracity, Verity, vicinity, virginity, virtuosity, viscosity, voracity, vulgarity. |
| 4 | -l u t ē | ability, abnormality, acceptability, accessibility, actuality, adaptability, admissibility, advisability, affordability, agility, amiability, applicability, availability, banality, believability, bestiality, bisexuality, brutality, capability, causality, centrality, civility, collegiality, commonality, comparability, compatibility, comprehensibility, conditionality, confidentiality, congeniality, constitutionality, convertibility, credibility, credulity, criminality, criticality, culpability, cyclicality, debility, deductibility, deniability, dependability, desirability, dimensionality, disability, docility, duality, ductility, durability, electability, eligibility, enforceability, equality, eventuality, extraterritoriality, facility, fallibility, fatality, feasibility, fertility, fidelity, finality, flammability, flexibility, formality, fragility, frivolity, frugality, functionality, futility, generality, geniality, gentility, gullibility, heterosexuality, homosexuality, hospitality, hostility, humility, illegality, immobility, immorality, immortality, impartiality, impersonality, impossibility, inability, inaccessibility, incivility, incompatibility, incredulity, indestructibility, individuality, inequality, inevitability, infallibility, infertility, infidelity, inflexibility, informality, instability, instrumentality, invincibility, invisibility, invulnerability, irrationality, irresponsibility, irritability, legality, legibility, lethality, liability, liberality, locality, malleability, maneuverability, marketability, materiality, mentality, miscibility, mobility, modality, morality, mortality, motility, municipality, musicality, mutuality, nationality, neutrality, nobility, nonutility, normality, originality, palatability, partiality, permeability, personality, plausibility, plurality, polity, portability, possibility, practicality, predictability, principality, probability, profitability, proportionality, punctuality, quality, rationality, readability, reality, reliability, respectability, responsibility, seasonality, senility, sensibility, sensuality, sentimentality, sexuality, speciality, spirituality, stability, sterility, suitability, survivability, susceptibility, sustainability, technicality, theatricality, tonality, totality, tranquility, transferability, triviality, unavailability, universality, unpredictability, unreality, unreliability, utility, variability, venality, versatility, viability, virility, visibility, vitality, volatility, vulnerability. |
| 3 | -u t ē | absurdity, acidity, activity, acuity, adversity, affinity, aggressivity, alacrity, alkalinity, ambiguity, amenity, amity, analyticity, animosity, annuity, anonymity, antiquity, anxiety, atrocity, audacity, austerity, authenticity, authority, barbarity, biodiversity, brevity, calamity, capacity, captivity, cavity, celebrity, charity, chastity, clarity, commodity, community, complexity, complicity, conductivity, conformity, congruity, connectivity, continuity, creativity, crotchety, curiosity, deformity, deity, density, depravity, deputy, dexterity, dignity, discontinuity, disparity, dissimilarity, disunity, diversity, divinity, domesticity, duplicity, eccentricity, elasticity, electricity, enmity, enormity, entity, equanimity, equity, eternity, ethnicity, exclusivity, expressivity, extremity, falsity, familiarity, Felicity, femininity, ferocity, festivity, fluidity, fraternity, generosity, gratuity, gravity, heredity, heterogeneity, hilarity, homogeneity, humanity, humidity, hyperactivity, hypersensitivity, identity, illiquidity, immaturity, immunity, impropriety, impunity, impurity, inactivity, incapacity, incongruity, indemnity, indignity, inequity, inferiority, infinity, infirmity, ingenuity, inhumanity, insanity, insecurity, insensitivity, insularity, integrity, intensity, irregularity, laity, laxity, levity, liquidity, lividity, longevity, majority, masculinity, maternity, maturity, mediocrity, mendacity, minority, modernity, monstrosity, morbidity, multiplicity, nativity, necessity, negativity, Nonconformity, nonentity, notoriety, nudity, obesity, objectivity, obscenity, obscurity, oddity, opacity, opportunity, overcapacity, oversensitivity, parity, particularity, passivity, paternity, paucity, peculiarity, perpetuity, perplexity, perversity, piety, polarity, pomposity, popularity, posterity, priority, probity, proclivity, productivity, profanity, progressivity, promiscuity, propensity, propriety, prosperity, proximity, publicity, purity, quantity, radioactivity, rapidity, rarity, reactivity, receptivity, reciprocity, reflexivity, regularity, relativity, religiosity, retroactivity, rickety, rigidity, salinity, sanctity, sanity, scarcity, security, selectivity, seniority, sensitivity, serendipity, serenity, severity, similarity, simplicity, sincerity, sobriety, society, solemnity, solidarity, solidity, sorority, specificity, spontaneity, stupidity, subjectivity, superconductivity, superfluidity, superiority, supermajority, surety, temerity, tenacity, timidity, toxicity, Trinity, turbidity, ubiquity, unanimity, unfamiliarity, uniformity, unity, university, unpopularity, uppity, validity, vanity, variety, varsity, velocity, velvety, veracity, Verity, vicinity, virginity, virtuosity, viscosity, voracity, vulgarity. |
Source: compiled by the editor (additional references); see credits. | ||
Scrabble® Enable2K-Verified Anagrams | |
| Words within the letters "a-a-b-c-c-i-i-l-n-o-t-t-u-y" | |
-2 letters: countability. | |
-3 letters: accountably. | |
-4 letters: actability, actionably, butylation, citational, cutability, notability, tabulation, tunability. | |
-5 letters: actuality, actuation, acylation, albinotic, anaclitic, atonality, autolytic, battalion, botanical, catabolic, catalytic, catatonic, clonicity, countably, lactation, tactician, tuitional. | |
| Words containing the letters "a-a-b-c-c-i-i-l-n-o-t-t-u-y" | |
+2 letters: unaccountability. | |
| Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. SCRABBLE® is a registered trademark. All intellectual property rights in and to the game are owned in the U.S.A and Canada by Hasbro Inc., and throughout the rest of the world by J.W. Spear & Sons Limited of Maidenhead, Berkshire, England, a subsidiary of Mattel Inc. Mattel and Spear are not affiliated with Hasbro. | |
Hexadecimal (or equivalents, 770AD-1900s) (references)41 63 63 6F 75 6E 74 61 62 69 6C 69 74 79 |
| Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519; backwards) (references)
|
| American Sign Language (origins from 1620-1817 in Italy and, especially, France) (references)
|
| Semaphore (1791, in France) (references)
|
| Braille (1829, in France) (references)
|
Morse Code (1836) (references).- -.-. -.-. --- ..- -. - .- -... .. .-.. .. - -.--. |
| Dancing Men (Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, 1903) (references)
|
Binary Code (1918-1938, probably earlier) (references)01000001 01100011 01100011 01101111 01110101 01101110 01110100 01100001 01100010 01101001 01101100 01101001 01110100 01111001 |
HTML Code (1990) (references)A c c o u n t a b i l i t y |
ISO 10646 (1991-1993) (references)0041 0063 0063 006F 0075 006E 0074 0061 0062 0069 006C 0069 0074 0079 |
| British Sign Language (Fingerspelling, BSL; 1992, British Deaf Association Dictionary of British Sign Language) (references)
|
Encryption (beginner's substitution cypher): (references)3569698187808667687578758691 |
| 1. Definition 2. Synonyms 3. Crosswords 4. Usage: Modern | 5. Usage: Commercial 6. Quotations: Historic 7. Quotations: Non-fiction 8. Quotations: Speeches | 9. Usage Frequency 10. Expressions 11. Expressions: Internet 12. Translations: Modern | 13. Derivations 14. Rhymes 15. Anagrams 16. Orthography | 17. Bibliography |
Copyright © Philip M. Parker, INSEAD. Terms of Use.
