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
Now Takaichi, a hawkish figure who has previously drawn Beijing’s ire for questioning some of the narratives around imperial Japan’s culpability for its war atrocities, has taken the step of speaking plainly on the Taiwan issue.
—Simone McCarthy, CNN Money, 21 Nov. 2025
But regulators often share some culpability.
—Nicholas Florko, The Atlantic, 18 Nov. 2025
So the question of Carol’s culpability and guilt is an open question for the show.
—Brian Davids, HollywoodReporter, 17 Nov. 2025
The attacker bears all of the culpability; the defender, none of it.
—Oded J K Faran, Oc Register, 21 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for culpability
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Simone McCarthy, CNN Money, 21 Nov. 2025
But regulators often share some culpability.
—Nicholas Florko, The Atlantic, 18 Nov. 2025
So the question of Carol’s culpability and guilt is an open question for the show.
—Brian Davids, HollywoodReporter, 17 Nov. 2025
The attacker bears all of the culpability; the defender, none of it.
—Oded J K Faran, Oc Register, 21 Oct. 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 30 Nov. 2025.
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