guilt-tripped; guilt-tripping; guilt-trips
: to cause feelings of guilt in (someone) : to try to manipulate the behavior of (someone) by causing feelings of guilt : guilt
How often have we been guilt-tripped into giving people generic birthday greetings on their walls even if they are just casual acquaintances?—
Michael Grothaus
Michael Grothaus
guilt-tripping
noun
Americans may be susceptible to moral and religious guilt-tripping, but they don't want a theocracy.
—Ellen Willis
Ellen Willis
plural guilt trips
: an instance of feeling guilty : a feeling of guilt or blame caused especially by another person's comment or accusation
give someone a guilt trip [=make someone feel guilty]
"You haven't talked to her in weeks, Mona." "Thanks for the guilt trip."—Armistead Maupin
Armistead Maupin"My waiter asked 'Now, do we want straws OR do we want to save the turtles?' and honestly we all deserve that environmental guilt trip"…—Rebekah White
Rebekah WhiteI cheated in school—and I cheated myself … I knew it was wrong. I was already on a serious guilt trip.—Art Schlichter et al.
Art Schlichter et al.Examples of guilt-trip in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Amir Sommer, Twin Cities, 11 Jan. 2024
Related Articles That’s crystal clear to me, at least: Both sides not only committed violent atrocities but also guilt-tripped the world.
—Amir Sommer, The Mercury News, 11 Jan. 2024
Reflecting on his experience in a college term paper, Westerveld pointed out the hypocrisy of guilt-tripping guests about towels while the hotel was hastily building more bungalows.
—TIME, 13 Oct. 2023
Doing favors for others probably won't successfully guilt-trip them into seeing things your way!
—Tarot Astrologers, Chicago Tribune, 21 Aug. 2023
Paul says Stella’s strategy of offering people better, ethical alternatives—rather than guilt-tripping them—was inspired by her mother, who launched a successful vegetarian-food business.
—Time, 9 Aug. 2023
Advertisement Not to criticize or guilt-trip your choices in the moment, just to state a fact, to clear the path to acceptance of imperfect options.
—Carolyn Hax, Washington Post, 6 June 2023
D’Elia also was guilt-tripping her, Wollfe claims, being less focused on denying the allegations and more so complaining that he was being abandoned by his friends and peers.
—Cheyenne Roundtree, Rolling Stone, 16 May 2023
Loretta is condemned and guilt-tripped by her sister-in-law (Therese Plaehn) for being a working mother.
—Sheri Linden, The Hollywood Reporter, 16 Mar. 2023
Charles McNulty, Los Angeles Times, 9 Aug. 2024
The fan responded back, essentially attempting to guilt trip Cardi.
—Michael Saponara, Billboard, 3 July 2024
End of carousel Your parents’ guilt trip isn’t even about you.
—Sahaj Kaur Kohli, Washington Post, 11 Apr. 2024
Undergoing a guilt trip could suck the joy out of your efforts.
—Tarot.com, Baltimore Sun, 13 Feb. 2024
And please spare me your class-warfare guilt trips.
—David Harsanyi, National Review, 25 Jan. 2024
But there’s no need for the guilt trip, says Shake Shack founder Danny Meyer.
—Steve Mollman, Fortune, 6 July 2023
Sebastian is reluctant to leave his father alone for the holiday, especially since Salvo spares no opportunity to guilt trip him about it.
—Frank Scheck, The Hollywood Reporter, 25 May 2023
At the center of this storm of terrors is a phone call from Mom, issuing expert long-distance guilt trips in the offscreen voice of Broadway veteran Patti LuPone.
—A.a. Dowd, Chron, 20 Apr. 2023
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Verb
That’s crystal clear to me, at least: Both sides not only committed violent atrocities but also guilt-tripped the world.
—Amir Sommer, Twin Cities, 11 Jan. 2024
Related Articles That’s crystal clear to me, at least: Both sides not only committed violent atrocities but also guilt-tripped the world.
—Amir Sommer, The Mercury News, 11 Jan. 2024
Reflecting on his experience in a college term paper, Westerveld pointed out the hypocrisy of guilt-tripping guests about towels while the hotel was hastily building more bungalows.
—TIME, 13 Oct. 2023
Doing favors for others probably won't successfully guilt-trip them into seeing things your way!
—Tarot Astrologers, Chicago Tribune, 21 Aug. 2023
Paul says Stella’s strategy of offering people better, ethical alternatives—rather than guilt-tripping them—was inspired by her mother, who launched a successful vegetarian-food business.
—Time, 9 Aug. 2023
Advertisement Not to criticize or guilt-trip your choices in the moment, just to state a fact, to clear the path to acceptance of imperfect options.
—Carolyn Hax, Washington Post, 6 June 2023
D’Elia also was guilt-tripping her, Wollfe claims, being less focused on denying the allegations and more so complaining that he was being abandoned by his friends and peers.
—Cheyenne Roundtree, Rolling Stone, 16 May 2023
Loretta is condemned and guilt-tripped by her sister-in-law (Therese Plaehn) for being a working mother.
—Sheri Linden, The Hollywood Reporter, 16 Mar. 2023
Noun
Movies For Subscribers The 27 best movie theaters in Los Angeles
Nov. 22, 2023
Beckett was known to have had a tense relationship with his demanding and disapproving Protestant mother, May (Lisa Dwyer Hogg), the first stop on the feted author’s guilt trip.
—Charles McNulty, Los Angeles Times, 9 Aug. 2024
The fan responded back, essentially attempting to guilt trip Cardi.
—Michael Saponara, Billboard, 3 July 2024
End of carousel Your parents’ guilt trip isn’t even about you.
—Sahaj Kaur Kohli, Washington Post, 11 Apr. 2024
Undergoing a guilt trip could suck the joy out of your efforts.
—Tarot.com, Baltimore Sun, 13 Feb. 2024
And please spare me your class-warfare guilt trips.
—David Harsanyi, National Review, 25 Jan. 2024
But there’s no need for the guilt trip, says Shake Shack founder Danny Meyer.
—Steve Mollman, Fortune, 6 July 2023
Sebastian is reluctant to leave his father alone for the holiday, especially since Salvo spares no opportunity to guilt trip him about it.
—Frank Scheck, The Hollywood Reporter, 25 May 2023
At the center of this storm of terrors is a phone call from Mom, issuing expert long-distance guilt trips in the offscreen voice of Broadway veteran Patti LuPone.
—A.a. Dowd, Chron, 20 Apr. 2023
Dictionary Entries Near guilt-trip
Cite this Entry
“Guilt-trip.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/guilt-trip. Accessed 24 Nov. 2024.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share