irresponsible

1 of 2

adjective

ir·​re·​spon·​si·​ble ˌir-i-ˈspän(t)-sə-bəl How to pronounce irresponsible (audio)
Synonyms of irresponsiblenext
: not responsible: such as
a
: lacking a sense of responsibility
b
: said or done with no sense of responsibility
irresponsible accusations
c
: unable especially mentally or financially to bear responsibility
d
: not answerable to higher authority
an irresponsible dictatorship
irresponsibility noun
irresponsibleness noun
irresponsibly adverb

irresponsible

2 of 2

noun

: a person who is irresponsible

Synonyms of irresponsible

Examples of irresponsible in a Sentence

Adjective He's too irresponsible to keep a job for more than a week. She made irresponsible comments that helped cause the riot. It would be irresponsible to ignore the threats.
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Adjective
This executive directive will show us the damage from these irresponsible tariffs and help get refunds back to Michigan businesses. Elaine Rojas-Castillo, CBS News, 2 Apr. 2026 Parents are paying attention For parents facing accusations of irresponsible gun practices, the potential loss of custody should provide a strong incentive for modifying their gun behavior. Marcia Zug, The Conversation, 2 Apr. 2026 Bañez called the announcement irresponsible and reckless, demanding Congress guarantee that the Treasury Department is equipped with the appropriate staff to support borrowers. Arthur Jones Ii, ABC News, 2 Apr. 2026 Even if companies wanted to spend irresponsible amounts of money on AI compute, they’ve been hampered by supply chain constraints. Reed Albergotti, semafor.com, 1 Apr. 2026 See All Example Sentences for irresponsible

Word History

First Known Use

Adjective

1648, in the meaning defined above

Noun

1894, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of irresponsible was in 1648

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Irresponsible.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/irresponsible. Accessed 8 Apr. 2026.

Kids Definition

irresponsible

adjective
ir·​re·​spon·​si·​ble
ˌir-i-ˈspän(t)-sə-bəl
1
: not legally responsible
2
: having or showing no sense of responsibility
irresponsible behavior
3
: unable to bear responsibility
irresponsibility
-ˌspän(t)-sə-ˈbil-ət-ē
noun
irresponsibly
-ˈspän(t)-sə-blē
adverb

Medical Definition

irresponsible

adjective
ir·​re·​spon·​si·​ble ˌir-i-ˈspän(t)-sə-bəl How to pronounce irresponsible (audio)
: not responsible : mentally inadequate to bear responsibility
irresponsibility noun
plural irresponsibilities

More from Merriam-Webster on irresponsible

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster