mea culpa

noun

mea cul·​pa ˌmā-ə-ˈku̇l-pə 

ˌmā-ä-,

-ˈku̇l-(ˌ)pä

: a formal acknowledgment of personal fault or error

The mayor's public mea culpa didn't satisfy his critics.

Did you know?

Mea culpa, which means "through my fault" in Latin, comes from a prayer of confession in the Catholic Church. Said by itself, it's an exclamation of apology or remorse that is used to mean "It was my fault" or "I apologize." Mea culpa is also a noun, however. A newspaper might issue a mea culpa for printing inaccurate information, or a politician might give a speech making mea culpas for past wrongdoings. Mea culpa is one of many English terms that derive from the Latin culpa, meaning "guilt." Some other examples are culpable ("meriting condemnation or blame especially as wrong or harmful"), culprit ("one guilty of a crime or a fault"), and exculpate ("to clear from alleged fault or guilt").

Examples of mea culpa in a Sentence

The mayor's public mea culpa didn't satisfy his critics.

Recent Examples on the Web

For readers who saw Connecticut’s A grade in the Alyssa Thomas trade (see below) and are wondering about the difference: Consider this a mea culpa. —Sabreena Merchant, The Athletic, 31 Jan. 2025

But Zuck now seems to be on an elaborate mea culpa tour. —Daniel R. Depetris, Newsweek, 10 Jan. 2025

On Thursday, though, the message was simply a mea culpa, an unspoken admission that a team that missed the playoffs for a seventh straight season owes some apologies. —Josh Kendall, The Athletic, 9 Jan. 2025

Thursday's mea culpa from the Supreme Court reinstates a lower court's order that found the federal guidance supersedes Idaho's ban. —Bayliss Wagner, Austin American-Statesman, 27 June 2024

Word History

Etymology

Latin, through my fault

First Known Use

1602, in the meaning defined above

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