diminished responsibility

noun

A defense by which the defendant argues that, although they broke the law, they should not be held fully criminally liable, as their mental functions were impaired.

Similar
diminished capacity
Ask AI about this wordChatGPTClaudePerplexityGoogle AIGrok

Meanings

noundiminished responsibility (uncountable)
  1. uncountablelawA defense by which the defendant argues that, although they broke the law, they should not be held fully criminally liable, as their mental functions were impaired.

    Synonyms: diminished capacity

Synonyms & antonyms

nounA defense by which the defendant argues that, although they broke the law, they should not be held fully criminally liable, as their mental functions were impaired.

Similar
diminished capacity
Also see
diminished capacity
Cite this entry
APA

diminished responsibility. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/diminished%20responsibility

MLA

“diminished responsibility.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/diminished%20responsibility. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “diminished responsibility,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/diminished%20responsibility.

Source: diminished responsibility on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.