Synonym Chooser

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

Some common synonyms of blameworthy are blamable, culpable, and guilty. While all these words 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

When might culpable be a better fit than blameworthy?

Although the words culpable and blameworthy have much in common, culpable is weaker than guilty and is likely to connote malfeasance or errors of ignorance, omission, or negligence.

culpable neglect

When is guilty a more appropriate choice than blameworthy?

The words guilty and blameworthy are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, guilty implies responsibility for or consciousness of crime, sin, or, at the least, grave error or misdoing.

guilty of a breach of etiquette

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 blameworthy But Miss Manners acknowledges that there is also the less blameworthy impulse to offer comfort — not just sympathy — when there is no real comfort to be offered. Judith Martin, The Mercury News, 11 Feb. 2025 But even more blameworthy has been the president’s assault on U.S. institutions, which began long before the novel coronavirus appeared and will be felt long after it is gone. Daron Acemoglu, Foreign Affairs, 23 Mar. 2020 His political support group consists mainly of sycophants who seek status by riding his popular coattails, while the erstwhile staff of his late presidential office have either now become subjects for criminal prosecution or — if not blameworthy — are adamantly urging against his return. Letters To The Editor, The Mercury News, 3 May 2024 On the whole, Google's spam filter, though in this instance imperfect, is not morally blameworthy. Jon Brodkin, Ars Technica, 25 Aug. 2023 To highlight the hazy line between blameworthy and praiseworthy failure, Edmondson routinely asks leaders to estimate the percentage of blameworthy mistakes in their organizations. Ann Kowal Smith, Forbes, 27 Nov. 2023 Additionally, studies show that people often direct retribution toward groups rather than individuals, such that people seeking revenge consider all Israelis or all Palestinians to be collectively blameworthy for the most extreme actions of a small number of people. Joshua Rottman, Scientific American, 20 Nov. 2023 Those blameworthy influencers, in turn, must identify their respective influences and apportion blame among them. Joshua Rothman, The New Yorker, 13 Nov. 2023 In a study that gave participants a scenario of an accidental fire that caused property damage, speakers of languages like English that give agentive descriptions tended to judge the plaintiff as more blameworthy and award them higher financial penalties. Sofia Quaglia, WIRED, 19 July 2023
Recent Examples of Synonyms for blameworthy
Adjective
  • The other Cantu, who was found guilty of murdering his cousin and his fiancée in 2001, was executed on Feb. 28, 2024, despite a public campaign to reconsider the decision when a key witness recanted their testimony.
    Anna Kaufman, USA TODAY, 25 Feb. 2025
  • Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes reports to prison for defrauding investors Holmes, 41, was found guilty of four counts of investor fraud and conspiracy in January 2022 and sentenced to 135 months, or 11 1/4 years, in prison.
    Meredith Deliso, ABC News, 24 Feb. 2025
Adjective
  • Trump and other Republicans have variously held Newsom and Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass (D) culpable on this point.
    Niall Stanage, The Hill, 9 Jan. 2025
  • And the California Democrat also helped lead the congressional investigation into the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol, which found Trump singularly culpable for inciting the violence that day.
    Mike Lillis, The Hill, 24 Jan. 2025
Adjective
  • Musk delivered an unmistakable, and reprehensible, fascist salute.
    Barbara A. Perry, Newsweek, 27 Jan. 2025
  • But if there has been any harm caused to Oscar Jenkins, that is absolutely reprehensible.
    Eric Cheung, CNN, 15 Jan. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Blameworthy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/blameworthy. Accessed 1 Mar. 2025.

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