guilty

adjective

ˈgil-tē How to pronounce guilty (audio)
Definition of guiltynext
as in ashamed
suffering from or expressive of a feeling of responsibility for wrongdoing she was burdened with a guilty conscience after ignoring the stranger's request for help

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

Some common synonyms of guilty are blamable, blameworthy, and culpable. While all these words mean "deserving reproach or punishment," guilty implies responsibility for or consciousness of crime, sin, or, at the least, grave error or misdoing.

guilty of a breach of etiquette

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

Both blameworthy and blamable apply to any degree of reprehensibility.

conduct adjudged blameworthy
an accident for which no one is blamable

When could culpable be used to replace guilty?

The words culpable and guilty are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, culpable is weaker than guilty and is likely to connote malfeasance or errors of ignorance, omission, or negligence.

culpable neglect

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 guilty Discredited art adviser Lisa Schiff, who last year pleaded guilty to bilking her blue-chip clients out of $6.5 million, has been sentenced to thirty months in prison, to be followed by two years of supervised release. —News Desk, Artforum, 19 Mar. 2025 Good supported her then-boyfriend in December 2023, after he was found guilty of assault and harassment of Jabbari. —Lisa Respers France, CNN, 19 Mar. 2025 After a six-month trial in 1970, Manson, Atkins, Krenwinkel and Van Houten were found guilty of first-degree murder and conspiracy to commit murder, per Helter Skelter. —Emily Krauser, People.com, 8 Mar. 2025 The turning point came in December 2023 when Majors was found guilty of assaulting Jabbari causing Marvel to drop him on the same day. —Caroline Reid, Forbes, 8 Mar. 2025 See All Example Sentences for guilty

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Cite this Entry

“Guilty.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/guilty. Accessed 24 Mar. 2025.

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