Culpable
adjective /ˈkʌl.pə.bəl/ — Deserving blame; morally or legally responsible for a wrong
Definition
Deserving censure or blame — being at fault, morally or legally responsible for a wrongdoing. Culpable is the word for guilt that has been established rather than merely suspected.
Beyond the definition
Culpable is guilt made official — not just feeling responsible but actually being responsible. The word acknowledges that blame has an object and that the object is you. It's the word that ends the 'who is responsible?' question.
Origin & history
Latin: culpabilis (blameworthy), from culpa (fault, blame). The same root as 'mea culpa'. To be culpable is to bear the culpa — the fault.
Example sentences
Illustrative sentences for learning, not verified community posts or sourced quotations.
The investigation found the manager culpable for the safety failures.
Culpable negligence is worse than ordinary negligence — it involves conscious disregard of risk.
She felt culpable even though legally nothing could be proven.
How to use it
This entry uses an adjective. Follow the examples for the nouns it describes and its position in the sentence.
Choose “Culpable” when the meaning fits your context: Deserving censure or blame — being at fault, morally or legally responsible for a wrongdoing. Culpable is the word for guilt that has been established rather than merely suspected.
Synonyms
blameworthy, guilty, at fault, responsible
Antonyms
innocent, exonerated, blameless
Related words
Culpable vs liable
Culpable carries a moral tone, implying blameworthiness for a wrong. Liable is a technical legal status indicating financial or legal accountability for an action.
Word in the Wild
See how this word appears in life, language and stories.
Illustrative sentences and imagined stories for learning — not verified sightings, interviews, or sourced quotations.
Fictional scene
Coworkers Singling Out Colleague
Coworkers unfairly single out one colleague for a shared project failure in a conceptual illustration.
The group attempts to establish that the individual is 'culpable' for the error. Culpability is the state of deserving censure or blame for a wrongdoing, moving from mere suspicion to an established finding of fault.
Image credit: Wordspun · AI-generated illustration
Questions about this word
What does "Culpable" mean?
Culpable is adjective meaning: Deserving blame; morally or legally responsible for a wrong. Deserving censure or blame — being at fault, morally or legally responsible for a wrongdoing. Culpable is the word for guilt that has been established rather than merely suspected.
Where does the word "Culpable" come from?
Latin: culpabilis (blameworthy), from culpa (fault, blame). The same root as 'mea culpa'. To be culpable is to bear the culpa — the fault.