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

Prominent figures, such as Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J., are going with a mea culpa, saying the party is partially to blame for Trump's success. —Phillip M. Bailey, USA Today, 7 Apr. 2025

As far as many are concerned, Cowboy Carter’s win is equivalent to a lifetime achievement award; a mea culpa of sorts for snubs of years past. —Kyle Denis, Billboard, 3 Feb. 2025

But many South Koreans rejected the mea culpa as too little, too late. —Ann Scott Tyson, The Christian Science Monitor, 9 Dec. 2024

And their mea culpa is limited to sports. —Caroline Downey, National Review, 7 Apr. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Latin, through my fault

First Known Use

1602, in the meaning defined above

Podcast

Get Word of the Day delivered to your inbox!