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blameworthy
adjective
blame·wor·thy
ˈblām-ˌwər-t͟hē
: being at fault : deserving blame
blameworthiness
noun
Synonyms
Choose the Right Synonym for blameworthy
blameworthy, blamable, guilty, culpable mean deserving reproach or punishment.
blameworthy and blamable apply to any degree of reprehensibility.
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
Examples of blameworthy in a Sentence
Their failure to adequately inform participants of the risks was morally blameworthy.
we were all equally blameworthy, whether we had openly approved the free-speech restrictions or simply kept quiet about them
Recent Examples on the Web
But even more blameworthy has been the president’s assault on U.S. institutions, which began long before the novel coronavirus appeared and will be felt long after it is gone.
—Daron Acemoglu, Foreign Affairs, 23 Mar. 2020
His political support group consists mainly of sycophants who seek status by riding his popular coattails, while the erstwhile staff of his late presidential office have either now become subjects for criminal prosecution or — if not blameworthy — are adamantly urging against his return.
—Letters To The Editor, The Mercury News, 3 May 2024
On the whole, Google's spam filter, though in this instance imperfect, is not morally blameworthy.
—Jon Brodkin, Ars Technica, 25 Aug. 2023
To highlight the hazy line between blameworthy and praiseworthy failure, Edmondson routinely asks leaders to estimate the percentage of blameworthy mistakes in their organizations.
—Ann Kowal Smith, Forbes, 27 Nov. 2023
Additionally, studies show that people often direct retribution toward groups rather than individuals, such that people seeking revenge consider all Israelis or all Palestinians to be collectively blameworthy for the most extreme actions of a small number of people.
—Joshua Rottman, Scientific American, 20 Nov. 2023
Those blameworthy influencers, in turn, must identify their respective influences and apportion blame among them.
—Joshua Rothman, The New Yorker, 13 Nov. 2023
In a study that gave participants a scenario of an accidental fire that caused property damage, speakers of languages like English that give agentive descriptions tended to judge the plaintiff as more blameworthy and award them higher financial penalties.
—Sofia Quaglia, WIRED, 19 July 2023
The most dramatic takeaway from the video is the outsized role the northern hemisphere plays in the global spread of greenhouse gasses, compared to the far less blameworthy south.
—Jeffrey Kluger, Time, 29 June 2023
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Word History
First Known Use
14th century, in the meaning defined above
Time Traveler
The first known use of blameworthy was
in the 14th century
Dictionary Entries Near blameworthy
Cite this Entry
“Blameworthy.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/blameworthy. Accessed 23 Dec. 2024.
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