culpability

American

[kuhl-puh-bil-i-tee] / ˌkʌl pəˈbɪl ɪ ti /

Sometimes culpableness

noun

guilt or blame that is deserved; blameworthiness.

Usage

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.

Other Word Forms

nonculpability noun

Etymology

Origin of culpability

culpabl(e) + -ity

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.

The judge told him: "There is no dispute that your culpability is at the highest level."

From BBC

Two jurors interviewed after the verdict said the eight days of deliberation were filled with questions about culpability and what signal they wanted their decisions to send to Meta and YouTube.

From The Wall Street Journal

They appeared to agree on Meta’s culpability by Friday, but labored through Tuesday to hash out a decision for Google, delivering their verdict just after 10 a.m.

From Los Angeles Times

But the judge rejected that, finding the union's culpability was high and that it had "persuaded themselves of their own spurious argument".

From BBC

Start to finish, “Reality Check” is an exercise in self-examination and culpability.

From Salon

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