culpable

adjective

cul·​pa·​ble ˈkəl-pə-bəl 

1

: meriting condemnation or blame especially as wrong or harmful

culpable negligence

The defendant is culpable for her actions.

2

archaic : guilty, criminal

culpableness

ˈkəl-pə-bəl-nəs 

noun

culpably

ˈkəl-pə-blē 

adverb

Synonyms

• blamable
• blameworthy
• censurable
• reprehensible
• reproachable

Choose the Right Synonym for culpable

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 culpable in a Sentence

They held her culpable for the accident.

He's more culpable than the others because he's old enough to know better.

Recent Examples on the Web

Individual errors were culpable for three, arguably all four goals. —Mark Critchley, The Athletic, 20 Dec. 2024

The parents were both sentenced to 10-15 years in prison last month after separate juries determined that the parents were culpable for ignoring troubling warning signs their son exhibited ahead of the shootings and buying him a gun instead of getting him help. —Tresa Baldas, Detroit Free Press, 20 May 2024

In the textbook’s narrative, the butcher of millions is never culpable. —Leon Aron, The Atlantic, 5 Dec. 2024

Law enforcement officers who executed the warrants were similarly not culpable of any crime, per prosecutors. —Emily Palmer, Peoplemag, 6 Aug. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Middle English coupable, from Anglo-French cupable, culpable, from Latin culpabilis, from culpare to blame, from culpa guilt

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Phrases Containing culpable

• culpable negligence

Kids Definition

culpable

adjective

cul·​pa·​ble ˈkəl-pə-bəl 

: deserving blame

culpability

ˌkəl-pə-ˈbil-ət-ē 

noun

culpableness

ˈkəl-pə-bəl-nəs 

noun

culpably

ˈkəl-pə-blē 

adverb

Legal Definition

culpable

adjective

cul·​pa·​ble ˈkəl-pə-bəl 

: deserving condemnation or blame as wrong or harmful

culpability

ˌkəl-pə-ˈbi-lə-tē 

noun

culpableness noun

culpably adverb