vastutav

Vastutav is an Estonian adjective meaning responsible, accountable, or liable. It is formed from the noun vastutus “responsibility” with the participial suffix -av, yielding a word that describes someone or something that bears responsibility for a matter or outcome.

The word can describe a person, a role, or an institution that has duties and can be held answerable for actions. In legal and administrative language, vastutav describes the entity that bears liability or responsibility for compliance and decisions. The phrase vastutav isik (“responsible person”) is common in contracts, corporate governance, and project management, designating the person who holds accountability for the actions of a unit or process. In everyday Estonian, vastutav can describe a person who acts responsibly, for example in work ethics or safety.

Important nuance: vastutav primarily conveys liability and accountability rather than general reliability; for the trait of being trustworthy one would use usaldusväärne or vastutustundlik (“responsible” in a moral sense). The term appears in compounds like vastutav juht (“responsible manager”), vastutav töötaja, or vastutav ametkond, depending on context.

Etymology: derived from vastutus + -av, typical for Estonian adjectives describing agentive qualities. Related terms include vastutus (responsibility), vastutustundlik (responsible/considerate), and vastutamine (taking responsibility).