solely accountable

USAGE SUMMARY

"solely accountable" is correct and usable in written English. You can use it when emphasizing that someone is the only person responsible for a particular outcome or decision. For example: "The manager is solely accountable for the project's success." Alternative expressions include "entirely responsible" and "exclusively liable."

✓ Grammatically correct

News & Media

Science

Formal & Business

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

13 human-written examples

And if the company goes under, you are solely accountable for that failure, sacrificing your financial livelihood in the process.

The New York Times

As a result, swimming, cycling, rowing and sailing became solely accountable for how they spent their handouts with little oversight or input from the various AIS-based experts.

The Guardian - Sport

"I am solely accountable to all the people and the seven parties," he wrote, "and my first commitment is to implement the road map and the 12-point understanding presented by the seven parties".

The New York Times

It used to be that corporations held some sense of duty to their communities and some sense of partnership with their employees; we were told that companies were solely accountable to their shareholders.

The New York Times

While these are obviously important measures of function and outcome, there are many variables that contribute to the ability to deploy after amputation and it is unlikely that amputation technique is solely accountable.

Strategies in Trauma and Limb Reconstruction

The author affirms that he has read the manuscript and approved the content of the manuscript submitted for publication and is solely accountable for all aspects of the accuracy and integrity.

Bioresources and Bioprocessing

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

45 human-written examples

The chancellor was accountable solely to, and served entirely at the discretion of, the Emperor.

Wikipedia

He argues that free schools would be run solely by heads, accountable to parents, through school governors.

The Economist

"We plan to start this enterprise because so many Republicans seem to agree that there is a need on our side of the aisle for an entity that is focused on solely holding Democrats accountable for their actions and records using research, candidate tracking, rapid response and digital tools," Rhoades told CNN.

Huffington Post

Stimson claims that military justice is different in that is not solely based on holding criminals accountable; rather, quoting a Heritage report written by himself, he argues that "our military justice system exists in order to help the military to succeed in its mission: to defend the nation.... Ultimately, it is structured to fight and win wars".

Huffington Post

Making FIFA truly "responsible, accountable, transparent and focused solely on the best interests of the game," as Gulati called for in a statement last month, would require ensuring that those federations actually represent the fans in each country, rather than simply collecting a percentage off their fandom.

The New York Times - Magazine

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

Pair this phrase with the preposition "for" to specify the subject of responsibility, or "to" to specify the authority being answered to

Common error

Writers sometimes mistakenly add extra words such as "solely accountable alone". Since "solely" already denotes being the only one, adding "alone" creates a tautology that weakens the professional tone of your writing.

Linguistic Context

The phrase "solely accountable" functions as an adjective phrase where the adverb "solely" modifies the adjective "accountable". In the examples provided by Ludwig, it typically appears as a subject complement following a linking verb (e.g., "you are "solely accountable"") or as an object complement (e.g., "holding them "solely accountable"").

Expression frequency: Common

Frequent in

News & Media

55%

Science

25%

Formal & Business

15%

Less common in

Wiki

3%

Social Media

1%

Reference

1%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

The phrase "solely accountable" is a robust and grammatically correct way to isolate responsibility. According to Ludwig AI and the data provided, it is most frequently used in the realms of journalism and scientific research to denote a single point of failure or duty. It carries a formal weight that makes it superior to more common alternatives like "<a href="/s/only+responsible" target="_blank" rel="alternative">only responsible" in professional contexts. When using it, remember that "accountability" implies an obligation to explain or justify one's actions to another party, whereas "responsibility" focuses more on the duty itself. As demonstrated by Ludwig, the phrase is perfectly standard and highly recommended for clear, authoritative English writing.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

solely responsible

The most common and interchangeable synonym, though slightly less formal than accountable.

entirely accountable

Emphasizes the completeness of the responsibility rather than just the exclusivity.

exclusively liable

Shifts the focus toward legal or financial obligation.

singularly accountable

Adds a literary or emphatic tone, highlighting that only one party is involved.

individually accountable

Often used when distinguishing one person's duty from a group's collective responsibility.

wholly answerable

Uses a slightly more traditional or moralistic tone regarding one's duties.

fully responsible

A broader term that implies total control without strictly excluding others in every context.

uniquely accountable

Suggests that the entity has a responsibility that no one else could possibly have.

strictly liable

A specific legal term meaning responsibility exists regardless of intent or fault.

solely to blame

Carries a strong negative connotation, usually used for failures or accidents.

FAQs

How do I use "solely accountable" in a sentence?

You can use it to pinpoint a specific entity's duty, for example: "The CEO is "solely accountable" for the company's financial performance.".

What is the difference between "solely accountable" and "solely responsible"?

While often used interchangeably, "<a href="/s/solely+accountable" target="_blank" rel="alternative">solely accountable" usually implies a formal obligation to report or justify results to an authority, whereas "<a href="/s/solely+responsible" target="_blank" rel="alternative">solely responsible" is a broader term for being the cause or agent of an action.

Can I say "entirely accountable" instead?

Yes, "<a href="/s/entirely+accountable" target="_blank" rel="alternative">entirely accountable" is a valid alternative that emphasizes the total degree of responsibility rather than just the fact that it is not shared.

Is "solely accountable" too formal for an email?

It is quite formal. In a casual email, you might prefer "<a href="/s/the+only+one+in+charge" target="_blank" rel="alternative">the only one in charge" or simply "<a href="/s/responsible+for" target="_blank" rel="alternative">responsible for".