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

Prevailing xenophobic notions of the time would have insisted on Bridget’s culpability, particularly when Irish women were seen as more likely to be able to swing an ax than leisurely ladies like Lizzie. — Rafaela Bassili, Vulture, 18 Sep. 2026

The trial was a battle between those who believe the law should take a person’s mental illness into account when determining culpability, and those who don’t. — Wendy Murphy, Boston Herald, 7 Sep. 2026

The case has also sparked deep public divisions over her culpability and the issues around maternal mental health after childbirth. — Leah Willingham, Los Angeles Times, 3 Sep. 2026

The long delay before Davis was charged, DiGiacomo said, did not mean Las Vegas investigators doubted his culpability. — Nancy Dillon, Rolling Stone, 1 Sep. 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