culpability

noun

cul·​pa·​bil·​i·​ty ˌkəl-pə-ˈbi-lə-tē 

: responsibility for wrongdoing or failure : the quality or state of being culpable

moral/legal/criminal culpability

He refuses to acknowledge his own culpability.

Culpability for our failure to reduce petroleum imports falls across the political spectrum.

—Gregg Easterbrook

Synonyms of culpability

• blame
• guilt

Examples of culpability in a Sentence

cannot find culpability where there is neither knowledge that a crime has been committed nor evidence of intent to commit a crime

Recent Examples on the Web

However, the move did not clear the produce company from culpability. — Bloomberg, Mercury News, 23 July 2026

But the show refuses to paint him with monstrous broad strokes, offering enough glimpses of humanity to leave his culpability in doubt. — Jon O'Brien, IndieWire, 22 July 2026

The judge has also noted that doctors on witness lists for the defense and prosecution will likely offer different opinions on Clancy’s mental illness and culpability. — Lance Reynolds, Boston Herald, 21 July 2026

Partly to avoid culpability at home and abroad, Jefferson pressed charges against Ogden and Smith. — Lindsay Schakenbach Regele, The Conversation, 13 July 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1652, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for culpability

• affability
• audibility
• bistability
• capability
• changeability
• contractility
• credibility
• disability
• disutility
• durability
• fallibility
• feasibility