culpability

[ kuhl-puh-bil-i-tee ]

noun

1. guilt or blame that is deserved; blameworthiness.

Other Words From

• noncul·pa·bili·ty noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of culpability¹

culpabl(e) + -ity

Example Sentences

Some judges have dropped the issue of culpability, saying they will take it up again down the road.

From Washington Post

The company only acknowledges its own culpability in obscure academic journals and internal memos.

From Vox

Keefe talks about writing the book and what may lie behind the Sacklers’ denials of their culpability for the opioid crisis.

From The Daily Beast

Cooperating witnesses are the lifeblood for prosecutors because they provide a road map that not only lays out the names and culpability of their co-conspirators, but also reveals the mind-set of those who participated in the crime.

From Washington Post

Weitz notes that the results are still preliminary and incomplete, but he thinks they are “intriguing” and might help us “begin to walk away from this notion of culpability” where it isn’t appropriate.

From Quanta Magazine

He denies complete culpability and has blamed mechanical failures, including malfunctioning watertight doors, for the sinking.

From The Daily Beast

But the law insists on judging legal culpability by reference, at least in part, to results.

From The Daily Beast

Why then does legal culpability not follow moral culpability?

From The Daily Beast

Who best dealt with their culpability and crimes during the war?

From The Daily Beast

Studies seeking to count war dead inevitably raise questions of moral culpability, but their real utility lies elsewhere.

From The Daily Beast

He evidently felt that he ought to defend his own sagacity and absolve himself from mariner's culpability.

From Project Gutenberg

Nor had he the innate sense that his misfortunes had been incurred without the culpability of, at least, neglect on his own part.

From Project Gutenberg

Upon admitting Lionel again to his presence, he spoke forcibly, though with brevity, upon the culpability of his conduct.

From Project Gutenberg

He instantly relieved Mrs. Clephane of culpability; Mrs. Winton did not count with him.

From Project Gutenberg

Kemble translates bana "slaughterer," which implies brutality, and perhaps culpability.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• accountability
• guilt

More About Culpability

What does culpability mean?

Culpability is the quality of being culpable—deserving blame for a crime or wrongdoing.

When someone is described as culpable for something, it means it’s their fault or that they are guilty of it. Culpability is the guilt or blame that a person deserves.

The words culpable and culpability are typically used in serious legal contexts involving crimes.

Example: It’s the job of a jury to assign or reject culpability for a crime.

Where does culpability come from?

Culpability is based on culpable, which is first recorded around 1300. It ultimately comes from the Latin verb culpāre, meaning “to hold liable,” from the Latin culpa, meaning “blame.” Culpa also appears in the Latin phrase mea culpa, meaning “my fault.”

You have culpability for something that has gone wrong when you’re somehow responsible for it. Even if you weren’t the one who directly caused harm, you could still be considered legally culpable if you had some role in it. For example, if it was your responsibility to ensure the safety of others by inspecting equipment and you neglected to do so, you could be held culpable if people were hurt as a result of your negligence.

Did you know ... ?

What are some other forms related to culpability?

• culpable (adjective)

What are some synonyms for culpability?

• culpableness
• responsibility
• liability
• guilt
• blameworthiness

What are some words that share a root or word element with culpability? 

• culpable homicide
• mea culpa
• culpa

What are some words that often get used in discussing culpability?

• fault
• negligence
• party
• action
• defendant
• criminal
• behavior
• accountable

How is culpability used in real life?

Culpability is usually used in a very serious way. It’s especially used in a legal context.

We applaud the court ruling ordering Iran to compensate the family of Robert Levinson. While no dollar amount will reverse the pain they have had to endure for more than 13 years, it is a welcome affirmation of Iran’s culpability for his disappearance.https://t.co/jp1c058AMP

— NSC 45 Archived (@WHNSC45) October 7, 2020

High Court rules that Bawa-Garba must be struck off the UK medical register to maintain public confidence in the profession, saying “the holes in the patient’s safety net cannot reduce her personal culpability” https://t.co/fwYrynRiMa pic.twitter.com/yB9cj9Uvc6

— The BMJ (@bmj_latest) January 26, 2018

When you have a chronic inability to admit when you’re wrong; When you always double down and blame others for your mistakes; you lose the social capital n credibility to call on others to apologize, admit wrong or accept culpability. You lose your ability to hold ppl to account.

— Dennis M Brooks (@dennisbroox) March 22, 2020

 

 

Try using culpability!

Which of the following words is NOT a synonym of culpability?

A. liability
B. responsibility
C. illegality
D. blameworthiness