Synonym Chooser

How is the word blameworthy different from other adjectives like it?

Some common synonyms of blameworthy are blamable, culpable, and guilty. While all these words 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

When might culpable be a better fit than blameworthy?

Although the words culpable and blameworthy have much in common, culpable is weaker than guilty and is likely to connote malfeasance or errors of ignorance, omission, or negligence.

culpable neglect

When is guilty a more appropriate choice than blameworthy?

The words guilty and blameworthy are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, guilty implies responsibility for or consciousness of crime, sin, or, at the least, grave error or misdoing.

guilty of a breach of etiquette

Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of blameworthy His Stoic Challenge framework invites you to see a setback not as something terrible, blameworthy or unfair but instead as a test of your ingenuity and resilience. Hanna Hart, Forbes.com, 29 May 2025 But Miss Manners acknowledges that there is also the less blameworthy impulse to offer comfort — not just sympathy — when there is no real comfort to be offered. Judith Martin, The Mercury News, 11 Feb. 2025 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 On the whole, Google's spam filter, though in this instance imperfect, is not morally blameworthy. Jon Brodkin, Ars Technica, 25 Aug. 2023
Recent Examples of Synonyms for blameworthy
Adjective
  • Now 30, Kohberger in July pleaded guilty to four counts of first-degree murder and one count of felony burglary in exchange for prosecutors dropping pursuit of the death penalty.
    Darin Oswald, Idaho Statesman, 26 Sep. 2025
  • Ritter; the clinic operator, Iris Winchester, and a recruiter, Joyce Robinson, pleaded guilty in plea agreements and were sentenced to various lesser amounts of time in prison earlier this year, according to prosecutors and court records.
    Christina Hall, Freep.com, 26 Sep. 2025
Adjective
  • Chicago's lawsuit says Glock has sold its firearms, despite knowing they can be easily converted, and Glock and stores like Eagles Sports Range are culpable for the spread of modified handguns.
    David Clarey, jsonline.com, 24 Sep. 2025
  • Even well into the ’80s and ’90s, mothers were made to feel culpable in some way for their children being diagnosed.
    Stephanie McNeal, Glamour, 23 Sep. 2025
Adjective
  • Repressed and lingering scars from childhood can certainly cause pain for entire communities and be a catalyst for terrible and reprehensible behaviors.
    Erin Qualey, Vulture, 25 Sep. 2025
  • Free speech scholars maintain the most vile and reprehensible speech, including that which celebrates someone's death, is legally protected — not from the consequences meted by private employers, but from government suppression.
    Taylor Seely, AZCentral.com, 20 Sep. 2025
Adjective
  • Under law, the act is punishable by up to five years of imprisonment and a fine of up to 50 million won ($35,860), and police are obligated to investigate any case reported.
    Jessie Yeung, CNN Money, 24 Sep. 2025
  • The felony charge of aiming a laser pointer at an aircraft is punishable by a maximum of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
    Brady Knox, The Washington Examiner, 22 Sep. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Blameworthy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/blameworthy. Accessed 1 Oct. 2025.

More from Merriam-Webster on blameworthy

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