spond-, spon-, spons-, -spondence, -spondent,
-spondency, -spondencies

Someone who advocates or supports beliefs or procedures: The owner of the company Joyce is working for is an espouser of equal pay for both women and men.

Quite often, an espouser is someone who "marries" an idea, or principle, and embraces it as his or her own.

There are also espousers who join others in conservation or other environmental causes which need attention for better living conditions for humans and other creatures.

A situation which is lacking in dependability or is unreliable: The irresponsibility of the man who was in charge of the horses by not properly caring for the race horse lead to his dismissal from the racing stables.

A reference to being weak, lacking in awareness of risks or outcomes, or not accepting accountability for what someone has done: The irresponsible tour organizer was criticized because he apparently forgot to make sure that the buses picked up the tourists on time.

It would be an irresponsible government if it ignored terrorist threats.

Characterized by rash, incompetent, ill advised behavior, or action: In a moment of what some people considered an irresponsibly rash decision making, the Senator decided to make a public declaration that he would run for President of the United States.

To answer, to reply, or to engage in a conversation or dialogue: After Julia sent her letter to the lawyer, he was quick to respond to her questions regarding her mother's will and last testament.

The police quickly responded to the woman's call for help.

While Eve was attending church, she enjoyed listening to the choir as the singers responded to the minister's sermon.

The act or fact of replying or answering a query or other communication: The real estate agent wrote a respondence promising immediate attention regarding the complaints by one of the owners of a condominium.

An acknowledgment of a communication: The respondency which the principal, Ms. Kelly, received from the PTA (Parent-Teacher Association) about a summer camp, was positive.

1. Anyone who replies to something: Harry was a respondent who provided information for a survey, a questionnaire, and even a few advertisements.
2. The defendant or defendants in certain types of court cases; such as, a divorce court: Mr. Jasper was named the respondent in the  upcoming sensational divorce case involving the mayor's wife.

Characterized by or descriptive of a reply or answering gesture: When Charlie told a joke, he watched his listeners for their respondent laughter and smiles.

The result, outcome, or reaction to a specific event: The extreme poverty in the remote village was a response to the drought and dry winds that had prevailed for more than a year.

When Jill told her supervisor about her plans to complete the project ahead of schedule, she didn't expect such an enthusiastic response from him.

Characterized by a lack of reply to a comment or feedback to a question, query, or situation: The responseless audience, gathered in the town square, was worrisome to the authorities who had been expecting a riot as the result of  the new edicts.

An act or fact of accountability, trustworthiness, and reliability: The weight of responsibility weighed heavily on Sam's shoulders when he realized that his father was unable to continue to work and to provide for his family; so, Sam dropped out of school and got a job.

The news keeps reporting about various groups claiming responsibilities for suicide explosions.

Pertaining to a fact or behavior that is trustworthy, demonstrates accountability, and is justified: The police praised the responsible action of Adam when he reported seeing a broken window at school.

The technicians found the responsible cause of the glitches for so many computers crashing.

A reference to something which is done in a reliable and sensible way: The principal of the school acted responsibly and conscientiously by insisting that all students learn to swim.