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
Gregg EasterbrookExamples 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
Unfortunately, Singh wraps up each subplot in too didactic a fashion — Maitri’s unnerving culpability is deserving of far more dramatic focus — but watching a mother and daughter navigate their community’s suspicions makes for a fairly entertaining watch.
—Siddhant Adlakha, Variety, 17 June 2025
How much bandwidth is left for the grief and anger of the early pandemic days and whatever culpability Mr. Cuomo had in furthering it?
—Ginia Bellafante, New York Times, 28 Mar. 2025
The extension would have detained Gamboa until June 23, but Gill later said his office was unable to decide Gamboa's culpability in the shooting, according to The Salt Lake Tribune.
—Thao Nguyen, USA Today, 23 June 2025
The View From Republicans Republicans used their time at the House hearing to accuse the blue-state governors of culpability in the deaths of Americans killed by non-citizens; Democrats often used theirs to say that Trump was shredding the Constitution.
—David Weigel, semafor.com, 12 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for culpability
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Siddhant Adlakha, Variety, 17 June 2025
How much bandwidth is left for the grief and anger of the early pandemic days and whatever culpability Mr. Cuomo had in furthering it?
—Ginia Bellafante, New York Times, 28 Mar. 2025
The extension would have detained Gamboa until June 23, but Gill later said his office was unable to decide Gamboa's culpability in the shooting, according to The Salt Lake Tribune.
—Thao Nguyen, USA Today, 23 June 2025
The View From Republicans Republicans used their time at the House hearing to accuse the blue-state governors of culpability in the deaths of Americans killed by non-citizens; Democrats often used theirs to say that Trump was shredding the Constitution.
—David Weigel, semafor.com, 12 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for culpability
Cite this Entry
“Culpability.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/culpability. Accessed 15 Jul. 2025.
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