Dictionary.com
Thesaurus.com
Synonyms

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

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

"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

  • nonguilt noun
  • preguilt noun

Etymology

Origin of guilt

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

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.

Is it a lack of societal residual guilt from the Holocaust?

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 7, 2026

During proceedings in September, representatives for Joell-Deshields said his agreement to comply with any court order regarding the return of company property was not an admission of guilt.

From BBC • Apr. 2, 2026

We’ll include advice from experts on how to move past the guilt and actually fix our finances.

From MarketWatch • Mar. 31, 2026

In the new world of capital jurisprudence, however, nothing is simple, even when it could help determine the guilt or innocence of someone who faces execution.

From Slate • Mar. 27, 2026

After a few moments of silently debating the merits of letting Valley go into the Cursed Forest alone, Seven’s guilt won out.

From "Witchlings" by Claribel A. Ortega

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.