guilt
Americannoun
-
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
-
a feeling of responsibility or remorse for some offense, crime, wrong, etc., whether real or imagined.
-
conduct involving the commission of such crimes, wrongs, etc..
to live a life of guilt.
- Synonyms:
- criminality
verb (used with object)
noun
-
the fact or state of having done wrong or committed an offence
-
responsibility for a criminal or moral offence deserving punishment or a penalty
-
remorse or self-reproach caused by feeling that one is responsible for a wrong or offence
-
archaic sin or crime
Other Word Forms
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.
Vocabulary lists containing guilt
Beowulf vocabulary
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"The Moustache" and "Who We Really Are"
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Module 1: Vocabulary Video Words
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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.
So too was "Mao's Guilt": a life-sized replica of the so-called supreme leader kneeling in a pose of solemn contrition.
From BBC • Apr. 19, 2026
Mark Edmundson is a professor of English at the University of Virginia and the author of “The Age of Guilt: The Super-Ego in the Online World.”
From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 9, 2026
Guilt 3: We have spent another $60,000 this year on home projects alone.
From MarketWatch • Oct. 10, 2025
Guilt and shame can make these experiences difficult to verbalize or talk about, Mathai said.
From Salon • Jun. 6, 2025
Guilt consumed him when he realized how he truly felt—he’d been relieved that Ben was dead, that he didn’t have to worry about facing him again.
From "The Maze Runner" by James Dashner
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.
