as in guilty
deserving reproach or blame
are you any less culpable for murder if you acted in the heat of passion?
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Recent Examples of culpable
The sentence is less than prosecutors sought but the judge concluded Bahi was less culpable than his boss.
—
Aaron Katersky, ABC News, 18 Nov. 2025
Is Jenny culpable for hiring a sketchy nanny, Carrie (Sophia Lillis)?
—Ralphie Aversa, USA Today, 6 Nov. 2025
Chicago's lawsuit says Glock has sold its firearms, despite knowing they can be easily converted, and Glock and stores like Eagles Sports Range are culpable for the spread of modified handguns.
—David Clarey, jsonline.com, 24 Sep. 2025
Even well into the ’80s and ’90s, mothers were made to feel culpable in some way for their children being diagnosed.
—Stephanie McNeal, Glamour, 23 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for culpable
Aaron Katersky, ABC News, 18 Nov. 2025
Is Jenny culpable for hiring a sketchy nanny, Carrie (Sophia Lillis)?
—Ralphie Aversa, USA Today, 6 Nov. 2025
Chicago's lawsuit says Glock has sold its firearms, despite knowing they can be easily converted, and Glock and stores like Eagles Sports Range are culpable for the spread of modified handguns.
—David Clarey, jsonline.com, 24 Sep. 2025
Even well into the ’80s and ’90s, mothers were made to feel culpable in some way for their children being diagnosed.
—Stephanie McNeal, Glamour, 23 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for culpable
Recent Examples of Synonyms for culpable
Adjective
-
Monica Cannon-Grant, 44, pleaded guilty in September 2025 to 18 of 27 counts, including wire fraud, mail fraud and failing to file tax returns related to a scheme in which Cannon-Grant and her late husband, Clark Grant, pocketed thousands of dollars in donations to their nonprofit.—
Louis Casiano,
FOXNews.com,
30 Jan. 2026
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The state's double jeopardy protections kick in if a jury has been sworn in a prior prosecution, such as a federal case, or if that prosecution ends in a guilty plea.—
MICHAEL R. SISAK THE ASSOCIATED PRESS,
Arkansas Online,
29 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
Extreme cold made the O-rings fail, but NASA’s culture was just as blameworthy and needed a retrofit more urgently than any piece of shuttle hardware.—
Meghan Bartels,
Scientific American,
28 Jan. 2026
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As the shutdown goes on, moreover, the polling on which side is more to blame seems to be gradually shifting toward Democrats as the more blameworthy side.—
Josh Hammer,
MSNBC Newsweek,
17 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Culpable.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/culpable. Accessed 5 Feb. 2026.
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