culpability

noun

cul·​pa·​bil·​i·​ty ˌkəl-pə-ˈbi-lə-tē How to pronounce culpability (audio)
: responsibility for wrongdoing or failure : the quality or state of being culpable
moral/legal/criminal culpability
He refuses to acknowledge his own culpability.
Culpability for our failure to reduce petroleum imports falls across the political spectrum.Gregg Easterbrook

Examples of culpability in a Sentence

cannot find culpability where there is neither knowledge that a crime has been committed nor evidence of intent to commit a crime
Recent Examples on the Web
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.
Caspar did not agree, at least not entirely, that the woman was without blame or culpability. Brandon Taylor, The Atlantic, 4 Jan. 2025 His culpability in the loss of Philip Broberg and Dylan Holloway in the dual offer sheet gambit by the St. Louis Blues is still being debated among Oilers fans. Allan Mitchell, The Athletic, 3 Jan. 2025 Garland appointed Smith in late November 2022, more than two years after President Biden had defeated Trump. Opinions as to Trump’s criminal culpability divide along largely partisan lines, like so much else in contemporary American life. Niall Stanage, The Hill, 25 Nov. 2024 Others had their own culpability for going along with pay-to-play schemes, providing kickbacks in exchange for receiving multimillion-dollar contracts to provide construction and other services to the city. Barbara McQuade, The Mercury News, 4 Oct. 2024 See all Example Sentences for culpability 

Word History

First Known Use

1652, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of culpability was in 1652

Dictionary Entries Near culpability

Cite this Entry

“Culpability.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/culpability. Accessed 15 Jan. 2025.

More from Merriam-Webster on culpability

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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