blameworthy
Americanadjective
adjective
Usage
What does blameworthy mean? Blameworthy is used to describe someone or something that deserves to be blamed for something negative that has happened. To blame someone for something is to accuse them of having caused it or to hold them responsible for it. The word blame is always used in the context of something bad that happened—you don’t blame someone for something good. However, when someone is blamed for something, it doesn’t mean they are guilty of it—it simply means they are being accused of being guilty of it. The word blame can also be used as a noun referring to the responsibility for something negative that happened. This is how the word is used in the phrase assign blame. As a noun, blame can also mean the disapproval, condemnation, or criticism for something bad that happened, as in He deserves most of the blame for the loss. Calling a person blameworthy indicates the belief that they are responsible for what happened and that they should receive the criticism for having caused it. The word blameful means the same thing as blameworthy but is less commonly used. Example: Those who participated in the fraud should be held responsible, but those who knew about it and did nothing are also blameworthy.
Other Word Forms
- blameworthiness noun
Etymology
Origin of blameworthy
Middle English word dating back to 1350–1400; see origin at blame, worthy
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Ideally, the blameworthy baddie would be someone who can cast these politicians’ own party as the hero.
From Washington Post • Mar. 21, 2022
But to be fair, China's not quite as blameworthy as it seems.
From BBC • Sep. 17, 2021
Our obligations to members of our society don’t end just because they do something that is dangerous, even blameworthy.
From Slate • Aug. 3, 2021
An apology, according to the Canadian sociologist Erving Goffman, is "a splitting of the self into a blameworthy part and a part that stands back and sympathizes with the blame giving."
From Salon • Feb. 19, 2021
Owen, I am blameworthy, and I ask forgiveness of God and this Church, and I desire to be at peace with my brother and ask your prayers to God for me.
From Some Phases of Sexual Morality and Church Discipline in Colonial New England by Adams, Charles Francis
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
