What does answerable mean?
Answerable is an adjective describing someone who is obliged to account for their actions or decisions to another person or authority. A manager may be answerable to a board; a civil servant may be answerable to a minister; in legal contexts, individuals are answerable for their conduct before a court. The word carries a distinctly formal register, appearing most often in discussions of governance, law, employment, and public administration, where it conveys responsibility, obligation, and the expectation of justification rather than merely blame. Two prepositions shape its use: 'answerable to' names the authority owed an explanation, while 'answerable for' names the deeds requiring one. A rarer sense describes a question as answerable, meaning it can be answered. Rooted in the verb 'answer', which descends from Old English 'andswaru', the word has long served as a cornerstone of accountability language, making it essential vocabulary for understanding how institutions distribute responsibility and require those in power to explain themselves.
Obligated to account for one's actions or decisions to a person or authority; liable to be required to justify oneself.
"Directors are answerable to shareholders for the company's performance."
'Answerable to' designates the authority; 'answerable for' designates the conduct.
(Of a question or problem) capable of being answered.
"The examiner ensured that every question was answerable with the material provided."
This sense is considerably less common than the accountability sense.
In British law, ministers are 'answerable' to Parliament — meaning they must literally stand up and answer questions, on the record, in public.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of answerable
Answerable derives from 'answer', which comes from Old English 'andswaru', originally meaning a sworn statement given in response to a charge — hence its deep association with accountability. The adjective formed in English during the early modern period, carrying the sense of owing an answer or reckoning to someone. Its cognates include 'answer' itself and, through the shared Germanic root underlying 'swear', words tied to formal verbal obligation.
How answerable is actually used
Answerable is chiefly used in formal, legal, administrative, and professional contexts. The two prepositions carry distinct meanings: 'answerable to' indicates the person or body one must report to, while 'answerable for' indicates the actions or outcomes one is responsible for. The secondary sense describing an 'answerable' question is much rarer today.
Easily confused with answerable
Accountable emphasizes formal obligation to report and accept consequences, while answerable more broadly stresses being obliged to explain or justify oneself, often to a specific person or authority.