culprit

noun

cul·​prit ˈkəl-prət 

-ˌprit

1

: one accused of or charged with a crime

The culprit pleaded "not guilty."

2

: one guilty of a crime or a fault

The culprit expressed remorse at his sentencing.

3

: the source or cause of a problem

Lack of exercise and poor diet are the main culprits in heart disease.

Did you know?

We would be culpable—that is, deserving of blame—if we didn’t clearly explain the origin of culprit. Yes, it is related to culpable, which itself comes (via Middle English and Anglo-French) from the Latin verb culpare, meaning “to blame.” But the etymology of culprit is not so straightforward. In Anglo-French, culpable meant “guilty,” and this was abbreviated “cul.” in legal briefs and texts. Culprit was formed by combining this abbreviation with the Anglo-French word prest or prit, meaning “ready”; literally, a culprit was one who was ready to be proven guilty. The word was eventually adopted into English and used to refer to someone who is accused of a wrongdoing. The word has since taken on an additional meaning: “the source or cause of a problem.”

Synonyms

• criminal
• crook
• lawbreaker
• malefactor
• miscreant
• offender

Examples of culprit in a Sentence

The police eventually located the culprits.

the police caught the culprit a mere two blocks from the scene of the crime

Recent Examples on the Web

In each, the real culprit causing the leading lady to turn into Manjulika, the unhinged spirit of a royal dancer, was eventually identified as dissociative identity disorder. —Anupama Chopra, The Hollywood Reporter, 5 Nov. 2024

Sitting around: The other culprit is letting that topping sit around for too long after baking but before serving, as the steam emanating from the casserole will kill that crunch. —Jill Schildhouse, Southern Living, 5 Nov. 2024

The video doesn’t clearly show the person who shouted the slur, but Kelce seemed to believe the culprit was someone wearing a Penn State hoodie who was filming him. —Jennifer Zhan, Vulture, 2 Nov. 2024

California’s tax incentive program is cited as the main culprit for driving creators outside of the city to more hospitable locations like Georgia and New York, as well as Australia and European locations like London. —Kristen Lopez, Variety, 1 Nov. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Anglo-French cul. (abbreviation of culpable guilty) + prest, prit ready (i.e., to prove it), from Latin praestus — more at presto

First Known Use

1678, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Podcast

Get Word of the Day delivered to your inbox!

Kids Definition

culprit

noun

cul·​prit ˈkəl-prət 

-ˌprit

1

: one accused of or charged with a crime or fault

2

: one guilty of a crime or fault