accusation

[ ak-yoo-zey-shuhn ]
See synonyms for accusation on Thesaurus.com
noun
  1. a charge of wrongdoing; imputation of guilt or blame.

  2. the specific offense charged: The accusation is murder.

  1. the act of accusing or state of being accused.

Origin of accusation

1
1350–1400; Middle English accusacion<Latin accūsātiōn- (stem of accūsātiō), equivalent to accūsāt(us), past participle of accūsāre (see accuse, -ate1) + -iōn--ion

Other words from accusation

  • coun·ter·ac·cu·sa·tion, noun
  • pre·ac·cu·sa·tion, noun
  • re·ac·cu·sa·tion, noun
  • self-ac·cu·sa·tion, noun

Words Nearby accusation

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use accusation in a sentence

  • In cases in which no attempt is made to ignore the accusation, the small wits are wont to be busy discovering exculpations.

    Children's Ways | James Sully
  • How would the involuntary accusation have been embittered, had he known that the Empress drew the same conclusion!

  • And when Lessard flung out that last unthinkable accusation, the explosion came.

    Raw Gold | Bertrand W. Sinclair
  • The one thing that loomed big in my mind's eye was the monstrous injustice of the accusation.

    Raw Gold | Bertrand W. Sinclair
  • Whether he had shot a man, or robbed a bank, or fired a church, the incipient accusation died away.

    Elster's Folly | Mrs. Henry Wood

British Dictionary definitions for accusation

accusation

/ (ˌækjʊˈzeɪʃən) /


noun
  1. an allegation that a person is guilty of some fault, offence, or crime; imputation

  2. a formal charge brought against a person stating the crime that he is alleged to have committed

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012