culpa
Americannoun
plural
culpae-
Roman and Civil Law. negligence; neglect (distinguished from dolus).
One is not always liable before law for culpa resulting in damages.
-
guilt; sin.
noun
-
civil law an act of neglect
-
a fault; sin; guilt
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.
Instead, in a sign of the times that seems impossibly quaint in the harsh light of 2026, she issued a somber mea culpa.
From Slate • May 6, 2026
San Francisco-based Grammarly didn’t make things any better with a mea culpa posted on LinkedIn by its chief executive, Shishir Mehrotra.
From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 17, 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
Mr. Steyer has endorsed them, but it’s never too late for a mea culpa.
From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 10, 2025
If Toby went to the apartment right now, a mea culpa on his lips, Luke would forgive him.
From "We'll Fly Away" by Bryan Bliss
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.
