culpability

noun

cul·​pa·​bil·​i·​ty ˌkəl-pə-ˈbi-lə-tē How to pronounce culpability (audio)
Synonyms of culpability
: responsibility for wrongdoing or failure : the quality or state of being culpable
moral/legal/criminal culpability
He refuses to acknowledge his own culpability.
Culpability for our failure to reduce petroleum imports falls across the political spectrum.—Gregg Easterbrook

Synonyms of culpability

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Examples of culpability in a Sentence

cannot find culpability where there is neither knowledge that a crime has been committed nor evidence of intent to commit a crime
Recent Examples on the Web
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.
Her culpability doesn’t erase her victimhood, nor does her victimhood absolve her. — Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 26 Oct. 2026 Her absence turned silence is a form of communication, one that symbolically washes her hands of culpability. — Fran Hoepfner, Vulture, 20 Oct. 2026 When cases proceed to a hearing, schools have a lower bar for determining culpability than the justice system’s standard of beyond a reasonable doubt. — ABC News, 14 Oct. 2026 The long delay before Davis was charged did not mean Las Vegas investigators doubted his culpability, DiGiacomo said. — Nancy Dillon, Rolling Stone, 13 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for culpability

Word History

First Known Use

1652, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of culpability was in 1652

Rhymes for culpability

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Browse Nearby Words

culpa
culpability
culpable
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Cite this Entry

“Culpability.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/culpability. Accessed 1 Nov. 2026.

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