culpa

American

[kuhl-puh, kool-pah] / ˈkʌl pə, ˈkʊl pɑ /

noun

Roman and Civil Law. negligence; neglect (distinguished from dolus).

One is not always liable before law for culpa resulting in damages.
guilt; sin.

culpa British

/ ˈkʊlpɑː /

noun

civil law an act of neglect
a fault; sin; guilt

"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

Other Word Forms

Inflected Forms

noun

culpae

plural

Etymology

Origin of culpa

1250–1300; Old English < Latin: fault, liability, blame

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.

We’ve already done one mea culpa this week and don’t want to set ourselves up for another, but: This is supremely unlikely, for basically every reason.

From Slate • Jun. 13, 2026

After I published a mea culpa, I never believed anyone would care.

From Salon • Jun. 8, 2026

"Normally, when presidents realise they are angering the public, they pull back and have some kind of mea culpa," Rowland said.

From BBC • Feb. 24, 2026

Nuzzi’s aim in offering this account remains cloudy, but readers looking for a mea culpa won’t find it here.

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 3, 2025

I'm not blaming anyone for this state of affairs, mind you; nor merely crying mea culpa.

From "Invisible Man" by Ralph Ellison

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023