culpability 1 of 2

as in blame
responsibility for wrongdoing or failure cannot find culpability where there is neither knowledge that a crime has been committed nor evidence of intent to commit a crime

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

culpable

2 of 2

adjective

Synonym Chooser

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

Some common synonyms of culpable are blamable, blameworthy, and guilty. While all these words mean "deserving reproach or punishment," culpable is weaker than guilty and is likely to connote malfeasance or errors of ignorance, omission, or negligence.

culpable neglect

How are the words blameworthy and blamable related as synonyms of culpable?

Both blameworthy and blamable apply to any degree of reprehensibility.

conduct adjudged blameworthy
an accident for which no one is blamable

When could guilty be used to replace culpable?

While in some cases nearly identical to culpable, 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 culpability
Noun
Twenty-nine people, mostly teenagers, were crushed on top of the nine young people who died. Combs, thrown into his first scandal at 22 years old, denied culpability for the stampede. Kevin Dolak, The Hollywood Reporter, 14 Jan. 2025 Even the president of Mexico at the time, Andrés Manuel López Obrador, recognized Biden’s culpability. Las Vegas Review-Journal, Twin Cities, 2 Mar. 2025
Adjective
Trump and other Republicans have variously held Newsom and Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass (D) culpable on this point. Niall Stanage, The Hill, 9 Jan. 2025 And the California Democrat also helped lead the congressional investigation into the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol, which found Trump singularly culpable for inciting the violence that day. Mike Lillis, The Hill, 24 Jan. 2025 See All Example Sentences for culpability
Recent Examples of Synonyms for culpability
Noun
  • The attention, and some of the blame, would have to start shifting onto a player pool whose reputation had been built up but now had to start delivering.
    Paul Tenorio, The Athletic, 21 Mar. 2025
  • This doesn't mean eliminating accountability but rather shifting from cultures of blame to curiosity when things go wrong.
    Michael Hudson, Forbes, 20 Mar. 2025
Adjective
  • Gabriel Skyler Caswell, 23, pleaded guilty to 12 additional counts of animal cruelty and was sentenced to 10 extra years in prison on Tuesday, March 18, said Parker County District Attorney Jeff Swain, per CBS News, WFAA-TV and the Fort-Worth Star Telegram.
    Kimberlee Speakman, People.com, 20 Mar. 2025
  • However, after a five-year investigation, Michael was found not guilty in October 2022 on three counts of neglect and conspiracy to commit neglect of a dependent.
    Monica Mercuri, Forbes, 20 Mar. 2025
Noun
  • After all, ditching an $8 bottle midway through feels a lot better than finishing a $60 bottle out of guilt.
    Annie Blackman, Allure, 28 Mar. 2025
  • The woman admitted her actions were fueled in part by guilt for having been duped by the scammer in the first place.
    Ron Estes, MSNBC Newsweek, 28 Mar. 2025
Adjective
  • Alternatively, if the foundation knew of warning signs, or should have detected warning signs, Learfield might be less blameworthy.
    Michael McCann, Sportico.com, 3 Sep. 2019
  • 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

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Cite this Entry

“Culpability.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/culpability. Accessed 3 Apr. 2025.

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