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 EasterbrookExamples 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
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
The government has thus far been unclear and tried to evade scrutiny by downplaying the government’s culpability.
—Chris Massaro, Fox News, 31 Jan. 2025
The prosecutor Cammarano said that the criminal investigation into culpability will hinge on what investigators find when the ship is brought to shore, including whether doors were left open or improperly secured, or whether a design flaw led to the sinking.
—Barbie Latza Nadeau, CNN, 1 Dec. 2024
The new law reduced the culpability of defendants who didn't actually do the killing and didn't intend for anyone to die, like a getaway driver in a robbery gone wrong.
—Gayane Keshishyan Mendez, CBS News, 14 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for culpability
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Las Vegas Review-Journal, Twin Cities, 2 Mar. 2025
The government has thus far been unclear and tried to evade scrutiny by downplaying the government’s culpability.
—Chris Massaro, Fox News, 31 Jan. 2025
The prosecutor Cammarano said that the criminal investigation into culpability will hinge on what investigators find when the ship is brought to shore, including whether doors were left open or improperly secured, or whether a design flaw led to the sinking.
—Barbie Latza Nadeau, CNN, 1 Dec. 2024
The new law reduced the culpability of defendants who didn't actually do the killing and didn't intend for anyone to die, like a getaway driver in a robbery gone wrong.
—Gayane Keshishyan Mendez, CBS News, 14 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for culpability
Cite this Entry
“Culpability.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/culpability. Accessed 12 Mar. 2025.
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