culpability
noun
cul·pa·bil·i·ty
ˌkəl-pə-ˈbi-lə-tē 
: 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
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
Of course, that's assuming that any independent investigation of the crisis doesn't point culpability in Newsom's direction for governance and preparedness failures.
—Michael Gfoeller and David H. Rundell, Newsweek, 15 Jan. 2025
His attorney, Erica Wolff, issued a statement on Oct. 1 denying his culpability in the upcoming wave of suits.
—William Earl, Variety, 13 Jan. 2025
According to a Kremlin readout, Putin apologized for the incident without explicitly admitting culpability.
—David Brennan, ABC News, 29 Dec. 2024
In the past, researchers have pinned culpability on the rapidly warming climate, arguing that Pleistocene beasts were unable to adapt as the world climbed out of an ice age.
—Shi En Kim, Smithsonian Magazine, 10 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for culpability 
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Michael Gfoeller and David H. Rundell, Newsweek, 15 Jan. 2025
His attorney, Erica Wolff, issued a statement on Oct. 1 denying his culpability in the upcoming wave of suits.
—William Earl, Variety, 13 Jan. 2025
According to a Kremlin readout, Putin apologized for the incident without explicitly admitting culpability.
—David Brennan, ABC News, 29 Dec. 2024
In the past, researchers have pinned culpability on the rapidly warming climate, arguing that Pleistocene beasts were unable to adapt as the world climbed out of an ice age.
—Shi En Kim, Smithsonian Magazine, 10 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for culpability
Dictionary Entries Near culpability
Cite this Entry
“Culpability.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/culpability. Accessed 6 Feb. 2025.
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