Liable vs. Reliable — What's the Difference?
Difference Between Liable and Reliable
ADVERTISEMENT
Compare with Definitions
Liable
Legally obligated or responsible
Liable to pay for damages.
Liable for negligence.
Reliable
Capable of being relied on; dependable
A reliable assistant.
A reliable car.
Liable
Subject to undergoing or suffering something, especially something unpleasant. Used with to
We did not use glass containers because they are liable to breakage.
Reliable
Yielding the same or compatible results in different clinical experiments or statistical trials.
Liable
Likely. Often used with reference to an unfavorable outcome
People who are sleep deprived are liable to make mistakes.
ADVERTISEMENT
Reliable
Suitable or fit to be relied on; worthy of dependence, reliance or trust; dependable, trustworthy
Liable
Bound or obliged in law or equity; responsible; answerable.
The surety is liable for the debt of his principal.
Reliable
Such that either a sent packet will reach its destination, even if it requires retransmission, or the sender will be told that it didn't
Liable
Subject; susceptible.
This crime is liable to imprisonment for life.
A man liable to heart disease.
Reliable
Something or someone reliable or dependable
The old reliables
Liable
Exposed to a certain contingency or causality, more or less probable.
Reliable
Suitable or fit to be relied on; worthy of dependance or reliance; trustworthy.
The best means, and most reliable pledge, of a higher object.
According to General Livingston's humorous account, his own village of Elizabethtown was not much more reliable, being peopled in those agitated times by "unknown, unrecommended strangers, guilty-looking Tories, and very knavish Whigs."
Liable
Likely.
Reliable
Worthy of reliance or trust;
A reliable source of information
A dependable worker
Liable
Bound or obliged in law or equity; responsible; answerable; as, the surety is liable for the debt of his principal.
Reliable
Conforming to fact and therefore worthy of belief;
An authentic account by an eyewitness
Reliable information
Liable
Exposed to a certain contingency or casualty, more or less probable; - with to and an infinitive or noun; as, liable to slip; liable to accident.
Proudly secure, yet liable to fall.
All human things are subject to decay.
Reliable
Worthy of being depended on;
A dependable worker
An honest working stiff
A reliable source of information
He was true to his word
I would be true for there are those who trust me
Liable
At risk of or subject to experiencing something usually unpleasant;
He is apt to lose
She is liable to forget
Liable
Subject to legal action;
Liable to criminal charges
Liable
(often followed by `to') likely to be affected with;
Liable to diabetes
Liable
Held legally responsible;
Men between the ages of 18 and 35 were liable for military service
Share Your Discovery
Previous Comparison
Looter vs. RansackerNext Comparison
Warp vs. Weave