culpable

adjective

cul·​pa·​ble ˈkəl-pə-bəl How to pronounce culpable (audio)
1
: meriting condemnation or blame especially as wrong or harmful
culpable negligence
The defendant is culpable for her actions.
2
archaic : guilty, criminal
culpableness noun
culpably adverb
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 Conway-Navarro, an assistant federal public defender, pointed out that her client wasn't a leader in the conspiracy and, therefore, was less culpable. Beth Warren, The Courier-Journal, 23 Feb. 2024 In 2014, he was convicted of culpable homicide or manslaughter and was sentenced to five years in prison. Kc Baker, Peoplemag, 8 Jan. 2024 But, in Henning’s view, Dunn and her fellow-jurors were not culpable. Jennifer Gonnerman, The New Yorker, 16 Feb. 2024 The serious criminal offense that happened here is the Capitol riot, but Smith is bereft of evidence tying Trump to it in a criminally culpable way. Andrew C. McCarthy, National Review, 13 Jan. 2024 Alongside fellow Globe nominees Lily Gladstone as Mollie Kyle and Robert De Niro as William King Hale, DiCaprio, 49, plays the gullible — yet culpable — conspirator Ernest Burkhart. Jack Smart, Peoplemag, 8 Jan. 2024 In 2014, he was convicted of culpable homicide or manslaughter, and not murder and was sentenced to five years in prison. Kc Baker, Peoplemag, 5 Jan. 2024 Pistorius was convicted of culpable homicide in 2014 after fatally shooting Steenkamp, a 29-year-old South African model, four times at his home on the morning of Feb. 14, 2013. Liezl Thom, ABC News, 5 Jan. 2024 Pino agrees that the fashion industry and its consumers are culpable. Julia Shipley, WIRED, 13 Jan. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'culpable.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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

Time Traveler
The first known use of culpable was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near culpable

Cite this Entry

“Culpable.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/culpable. Accessed 18 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

culpable

adjective
cul·​pa·​ble ˈkəl-pə-bəl How to pronounce culpable (audio)
: deserving blame
culpability noun
culpableness noun
culpably adverb

Legal Definition

culpable

adjective
cul·​pa·​ble ˈkəl-pə-bəl How to pronounce culpable (audio)
: deserving condemnation or blame as wrong or harmful
culpability noun
culpableness noun
culpably adverb

More from Merriam-Webster on culpable

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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