liable

/ˈlaɪəbl/ (bre, ipa) · /ˈlaɪəbl/ (ame, ipa) · /ˈlī-ə-bəl especially in sense 2 often ˈlī-bəl/ (ame, mw)

liable — 形容詞

  • liablepositive
  • more liablecomparative
  • most liablesuperlative

1. required by law to take responsibility for something that happens and to pay cos

1.形容詞B2
釋義

負法律責任

依法須承擔賠償或後果

required by law to take responsibility for something that happens and to pay costs, pay compensation, or face a penalty when things go wrong.

例句

If the driver caused the accident, the insurance company is liable for the repair costs.

如果車禍是司機造成的，保險公司須負法律責任支付修理費。

be liable for + cost / damage

The factory was found liable for polluting the river and had to pay a large fine.

那家工廠因污染河川被判負法律責任，並被處以巨額罰款。

passive: be found liable for [wrongdoing]

同義詞
  • responsible

    broader meaning — covers any duty or role, not just legal or financial obligation.

  • accountable

    emphasises being answerable to someone in authority, often requiring explanation rather than payment.

  • answerable

    more formal, often used with 'to' + a specific authority or body.

反義詞
  • unaccountable

    not required to explain or take responsibility.

  • exempt

    officially free from a legal obligation.

文法句型

be liable for + noun/gerund

be held liable for + noun/gerund

be found liable for + noun/gerund

用法筆記

Frequently passive — the phrases 'be held liable' and 'be found liable' are the most common patterns in legal contexts. The subject is usually a person, company, or organisation that has a duty under law. Not used in progressive tenses (*is being liable).

常見錯誤

❌The teacher is liable for the students' learning progress.
✅The teacher is responsible for the students' learning progress.
💡'liable' implies a legal or financial obligation, not a general duty.

2. likely to experience something unpleasant or to behave in a way that causes prob

2.形容詞B1
釋義

容易

很可能發生不好的事

likely to experience something unpleasant or to behave in a way that causes problems, because of the situation or the nature of someone or something.

例句

Without regular maintenance, old wooden stairs are liable to break.

沒有定期維護的話，老舊的木樓梯很容易斷裂。

liable to + infinitive for undesirable outcome

Their nervous dog is liable to bark at anyone who comes near the gate.

他們那隻緊張的狗容易對任何靠近門口的人吠叫。

同義詞
  • prone to

    suggests a lasting tendency or vulnerability, e.g., 'prone to headaches'; slightly more formal.

  • likely to

    neutral — can be used for any outcome; 'liable to' is restricted to negative ones.

  • susceptible to

    focuses on being easily affected or harmed; often used in medical or technical contexts.

反義詞
  • unlikely to

    not expected or probable.

  • immune to

    not affected by something, especially a disease or criticism.

文法句型

be liable to + infinitive

be liable to + noun

用法筆記

The outcome described by 'liable to' is almost always negative or unwanted — using it for neutral or positive events sounds unnatural. Distinguish from 'likely to', which is neutral and can be used with any outcome. Only sense 2 of this word can be followed by an infinitive ('liable to break').

常見錯誤

❌The weather is liable to be sunny tomorrow.
✅The weather is likely to be sunny tomorrow.
💡'liable to' is reserved for undesirable outcomes; use 'likely to' for neutral or positive events.