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

One such influencer, writer Eric Daugherty, later made a mea culpa on the social media site amid the backlash. —Lauren Green, Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, 25 Mar. 2025

Catch up quick: Huang offered a mea culpa Thursday at a panel on quantum at the Nvidia GTC conference. —Nathan Bomey, Axios, 21 Mar. 2025

Usually, when this happens at a car company, the CEO issues a mea culpa, vows to cut costs, and hypes vehicles coming to market soon. —Patrick George, The Atlantic, 12 Feb. 2025

The last time Andress was heard from in public was in a July 16, 2024 tweet offering a literally sobering mea culpa for her performance at the 2024 MLC Home Run Derby in Texas. —Chris Willman, Variety, 1 Mar. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Latin, through my fault

First Known Use

1602, in the meaning defined above

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