guilt

American  

[gilt] / gɪlt /

noun

• guilt
  plural

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

Derived Forms

• nonguilt
  noun
• preguilt
  noun

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• guilt
  plural

Etymology

Origin of guilt

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

Explanation

You experience guilt when you feel bad about doing something wrong or committing some offense. Guilt is also the state of having committed the offense — it's the opposite of "innocence." The noun guilt stems from the Old English word gylt, meaning "crime, sin, fault, or fine." Feelings of guilt are typical after you've done something you shouldn't have, like cheating on your spelling test or stealing from your little brother's piggy bank. We often say that our conscience is the source of this feeling. If you're the prosecuting attorney in a criminal trial, your job is to prove the guilt of the defendant, that is, to prove that they committed the crime you're accusing them of.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

guilt

And when they reluctantly return to America, they agonize over their guilt at not being able to do more — and what of Gaza will remain when they eventually get back.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 21, 2026

You should not be fueled by obligation or guilt.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 19, 2026

Participants also reported lower levels of negative emotions, including sadness and guilt.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 18, 2026

The death of a pet can lead to a flood of emotions, de Carteret says, not least guilt.

From BBC ● Aug. 15, 2026

I tried to shake off the guilt, remind myself that I’d only just got here and was hardly in a position to help others.

From "Flying Through Water" by Mamle Wolo

Related Words

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