devoid of responsibility

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase "devoid of responsibility" is correct and can be used in written English.
You might use the phrase to describe someone who is not fulfilling their obligations or shirking their duties. For example: "The manager was completely devoid of responsibility, never taking any initiative in the workplace."

✓ Grammatically correct

News & Media

Science

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

5 human-written examples

And looking forward from that point in 1967 there is a kind of desert devoid of history, devoid of responsibility, devoid of blame, until we suddenly emerge from the miasma right at the Oslo accords, the proposals that Ehud Barak made to Yasir Arafat at Camp David and, after Camp David, like thunder on a bright and sunny day, the second intifada.

The New York Times

What I hate about luck is that it implies being devoid of responsibility.

TechCrunch

While early metaphors framed synthetic biology in the media as a powerful science, strangely devoid of responsibility, it should be stressed that synthetic biologists quite commonly reflected on their responsibilities to society from the very beginning.

Life Sciences, Society and Policy

And although Priestley was personally exempt from the charge of libertinism, determinism and materialism, as ontological theses, seemed to support a lax moral philosophy, in which pleasure was conceived as the summum bonum, morality was conventional, and humans were anyway machines devoid of responsibility for their actions.

SEP

Those who already lie on the margins of our society (like uneducated black men, too many of whom are an inch away from jail or prison already) are most vulnerable to the messages of artists who encourage thinking that is devoid of responsibility or productivity.

Huffington Post

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

55 human-written examples

Wake up and take a good, hard look around you, and ask yourself if the gussied-up version of America being sold to you--crime free, worry free and devoid of responsibility--is really worth the ticket price: nothing less than your freedoms.

Huffington Post

There are few vocations that demand such long years of training for work that is so poorly paid and devoid of personal responsibility.

The Guardian - Music

By identifying these portraits as racist, it charges an ever-problematic trope in the art world about self-representation and performance when the artist is in conversation with race, class, and gender, or seemingly devoid of that responsibility.

Vice

And, for better or for worse, it is a place devoid of the responsibilities and heartache of the grown- up world.

The New York Times - Travel

Some advocates for the homeless believe that housing is a 'right' and are devoid of any responsibilities, like taking medicines.

Huffington Post

The "unmarried partner" snapshot of the LGBT community provided by the Census flies in the face of right wing portraits of the community as white, male, urban, affluent and hedonistically devoid of family responsibilities.

Huffington Post

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

Use "devoid of responsibility" when you want to emphasize a complete absence of accountability or obligation in a formal or serious context.

Common error

Avoid using "devoid of responsibility" when the situation involves shared or mitigated responsibility. The phrase implies a complete lack of accountability, which may be inaccurate or unfair.

Linguistic Context

The phrase "devoid of responsibility" functions as an adjective phrase, modifying a noun to indicate a complete absence of accountability or duty. It describes a state of being where someone or something lacks any sense of obligation. Ludwig AI confirms the proper usage through real-world examples.

Expression frequency: Rare

Frequent in

News & Media

60%

Science

20%

Formal & Business

10%

Less common in

Encyclopedias

3%

Wiki

3%

Social Media

1%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

In summary, "devoid of responsibility" is a grammatically sound phrase used to describe a complete lack of accountability. While not very frequent, as pointed out by Ludwig, it is commonly found in news, media and science contexts and serves to emphasize a serious deficiency. According to Ludwig AI, its usage is correct and appropriate, particularly in formal settings where a strong emphasis on the absence of obligation is desired. Consider alternatives like "lacking responsibility" or "without responsibility" for less emphatic expressions.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

lacking responsibility

Replaces "devoid" with a synonym, maintaining the core meaning.

without responsibility

Uses a more direct preposition to convey the absence of responsibility.

irresponsible

Shifts from describing a state to describing a characteristic.

free from responsibility

Emphasizes liberation from duty rather than a simple absence.

absolved of responsibility

Suggests a formal release from obligation.

unaccountable

Highlights the inability to be held responsible.

not accountable

Directly states the absence of accountability.

shirking responsibility

Focuses on the act of avoiding responsibility.

evading responsibility

Implies an active attempt to escape duties.

neglecting responsibility

Emphasizes a failure to fulfill duties.

FAQs

How can I use "devoid of responsibility" in a sentence?

You might say, "The project manager was "devoid of responsibility", leading to its ultimate failure", emphasizing their complete lack of accountability.

What are some alternatives to "devoid of responsibility"?

Consider using phrases like "lacking responsibility", "without responsibility", or "irresponsible" depending on the nuance you want to convey.

Is it more appropriate to say "devoid of responsibility" or "lacking responsibility"?

"Devoid of responsibility" is more formal and emphasizes a complete absence, while "lacking responsibility" is slightly less emphatic and can imply a partial deficiency. Choose based on the desired level of emphasis.

When is it inappropriate to use the phrase "devoid of responsibility"?

It's best to avoid using "devoid of responsibility" in situations where accountability is shared or circumstantial. The phrase is strongest when describing a clear and absolute absence of responsibility.