culpable

adjective

cul·​pa·​ble ˈkəl-pə-bəl 

1

: meriting condemnation or blame especially as wrong or harmful

culpable negligence

The defendant is culpable for her actions.

2

archaic : guilty, criminal

culpableness

ˈkəl-pə-bəl-nəs 

noun

culpably

ˈkəl-pə-blē 

adverb

Synonyms

• blamable
• blameworthy
• censurable
• reprehensible
• reproachable

Choose the Right Synonym for culpable

blameworthy, blamable, guilty, culpable mean deserving reproach or punishment.

blameworthy and blamable apply to any degree of reprehensibility.

conduct adjudged blameworthy

an accident for which no one is blamable

guilty implies responsibility for or consciousness of crime, sin, or, at the least, grave error or misdoing.

guilty of a breach of etiquette

culpable is weaker than guilty and is likely to connote malfeasance or errors of ignorance, omission, or negligence.

culpable neglect

Examples of culpable in a Sentence

They held her culpable for the accident.

He's more culpable than the others because he's old enough to know better.

Recent Examples on the Web

By extension, then, those expressing concern about Trump’s politics were culpable for the shooting — a link made more explicit by some in Trump’s orbit. —Philip Bump, Washington Post, 15 July 2024

Cosmetic chemist Javon Ford has a theory that titanium oxide, rather than zinc, is most likely to be culpable for the egregious white cast. —Megan Decker, refinery29.com, 7 July 2024

But many others have also been culpable, including Egypt, Iran, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and Turkey. —Johnnie Carson, Foreign Affairs, 19 July 2024

Police have been on the hunt for Bhole Baba since the deadly incident and have accused the event’s organizers of culpable homicide not amounting to murder, wrongfully restraining a person, causing disappearance of evidence or providing false information, according to a police report seen by CNN. —Sophie Tanno, CNN, 3 July 2024

Word History

Etymology

Middle English coupable, from Anglo-French cupable, culpable, from Latin culpabilis, from culpare to blame, from culpa guilt

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Phrases Containing culpable

• culpable negligence

Kids Definition

culpable

adjective

cul·​pa·​ble ˈkəl-pə-bəl 

: deserving blame

culpability

ˌkəl-pə-ˈbil-ət-ē 

noun

culpableness

ˈkəl-pə-bəl-nəs 

noun

culpably

ˈkəl-pə-blē 

adverb

Legal Definition

culpable

adjective

cul·​pa·​ble ˈkəl-pə-bəl 

: deserving condemnation or blame as wrong or harmful

culpability

ˌkəl-pə-ˈbi-lə-tē 

noun

culpableness noun

culpably adverb