Word of the Day

: June 19, 2011

reprehensible

adjective rep-rih-HEN-suh-bul

What It Means

: worthy of or deserving blame or condemnation

reprehensible in Context

The suspect is accused of committing reprehensible acts of violence.

"It seems as if those with an agenda only have to resort to reprehensible conduct to receive the attention they crave."-- From a letter to the editor by Mark Goldstein in USA Today, April 12, 2011

Did You Know?

"Reprehensible," "blameworthy," "blamable," "guilty," and "culpable" mean deserving reproach or punishment. "Reprehensible" is a strong word describing behavior that should evoke severe criticism. "Blameworthy" and "blamable" apply to any kind of act, practice, or condition considered to be wrong in any degree ("conduct adjudged blameworthy"; "an accident for which no one is blamable"). "Guilty" implies responsibility for or consciousness of crime, sin, or, at the least, grave error or misdoing ("guilty of a breach of etiquette"). "Culpable" is weaker than "guilty" and is likely to connote malfeasance or errors of ignorance, omission, or negligence ("culpable neglect").