guilt

American  

[gilt] / gɪlt /

noun

1. the fact or state of having committed an offense, crime, violation, or wrong, especially against moral or penal law; culpability.

   He admitted his guilt.

   Antonyms:

   innocence

2. a feeling of responsibility or remorse for some offense, crime, wrong, etc., whether real or imagined.

3. conduct involving the commission of such crimes, wrongs, etc..

   to live a life of guilt.

   Synonyms:

   criminality

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verb (used with object)

Informal.

1. to cause to feel guilty (often followed by out orinto ).

   She totally guilted me out, dude. He guilted me into picking up the tab.

guilt British  

/ ɡɪlt /

noun

1. the fact or state of having done wrong or committed an offence

2. responsibility for a criminal or moral offence deserving punishment or a penalty

3. remorse or self-reproach caused by feeling that one is responsible for a wrong or offence

4. archaic sin or crime

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• preguilt
  noun
• nonguilt
  noun

Etymology

Origin of guilt

First recorded before 1000; Middle English gilt, Old English gylt “offense”

Explanation

You experience guilt when you feel bad about doing something wrong or committing some offense. Guilt is also the state of having committed the offense — it's the opposite of "innocence." The noun guilt stems from the Old English word gylt, meaning "crime, sin, fault, or fine." Feelings of guilt are typical after you've done something you shouldn't have, like cheating on your spelling test or stealing from your little brother's piggy bank. We often say that our conscience is the source of this feeling. If you're the prosecuting attorney in a criminal trial, your job is to prove the guilt of the defendant, that is, to prove that they committed the crime you're accusing them of.

Example Sentences

There were questions about the quietness of the village afterwards, and the guilt some children felt playing outside when so many families were grieving.

From BBC • Jun. 6, 2026

Addressing Holloway, who was in tears in the dock, Judge Rees said he was "seemingly consumed by guilt".

From BBC • Jun. 5, 2026

This week, the Supreme Court issued an unsigned order reversing a lower court decision that had determined a man’s guilt based on new facts that had never gone before a jury.

From Slate • Jun. 4, 2026

A woman reunites with a father she hasn’t seen in decades and faces the guilt she felt after her mother left him.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 29, 2026

For a second, I thought it was Hannie, and I felt wracked with shame and guilt for being such a snooper.

From "Code Name Kingfisher" by Liz Kessler

Related Words

• culpability
• disgrace
• indiscretion
• liability
• regret
• remorse
• responsibility
• shame
• sin
• stigma