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

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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

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Other Word Forms

• nonguilt noun
• preguilt noun

Etymology

Origin of guilt

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

Example Sentences

Prosecutors said the early admission of guilt and a lack of prior convictions helped lower his maximum sentence from 10 years down to just under five years in prison.

From The Wall Street Journal

But a criminal case requires evidence that can be proved, not mere guilt by association.

From The Wall Street Journal

This sounds like a financial version of “FOG,” an acronym coined by author and psychologist Dr. Susan Forward — “fear, obligation and guilt.”

From MarketWatch

Helping adult children needs to be a conscious decision — not a default one driven by guilt or habit.

From MarketWatch

The general thrust of the changes were to de-melodramatize Salieri’s action and to focus more attention on his guilt and metaphysical torment.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• culpability
• disgrace
• indiscretion
• liability
• regret
• remorse
• responsibility
• shame
• sin
• stigma