guilt

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noun \ ˈgilt \

Definition of guilt

1 :the fact of having committed a breach of conduct especially violating law and involving a penalty

A jury will determine the defendant's guilt or innocence.

; broadly :guilty conduct

2 a :the state of one who has committed an offense especially consciously

His guilt was written in his face.

b :feelings of deserving blame especially for imagined offenses or from a sense of inadequacy :self-reproach

3 :a feeling of deserving blame for offenses

Wracked by guilt, he confessed his affairs.

See guilt defined for English-language learners

See guilt defined for kids

Examples of guilt in a Sentence

The jury determines the defendant's guilt or innocence.
His guilt in the matter was indisputable.
It was clear that the guilt lay with him.
a strong sense of guilt
She feels guilt over something that happened before she was born!
our secret guilts and insecurities

Recent Examples of guilt from the Web

The former U.S. attorney says the job of the federal prosecutor is to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.

— Bloomberg.com, "Christie Says Menendez Deserves ‘Presumption of Innocence’," 30 Aug. 2017
Ortiz said children can feel guilt and apprehension when their parents are in court, and realize their world could change.

— jim newton, Lake County News-Sun, "Kids Korner marks 50,000th child served at Lake County Circuit Court," 25 Aug. 2017
The indictment undertakes to describe in detail four counts of bank-fraud conspiracy, false statements on credit applications, and unlawful monetary transactions, yet leaves out the most damning evidence of guilt.

— andrew c. mccarthy, National Review, "The Very Strange Indictment of Debbie Wasserman Schultz’s IT Scammers," 21 Aug. 2017
And growing up, I was surrounded by broken men, men who came home from a war filled with shrapnels and guilt, men who were misled into a losing ideology.

— karen mizoguchi, PEOPLE.com, "Arnold Schwarzenegger Tells America’s Neo-Nazis: ‘Your Heroes Are Resting in Hell’," 18 Aug. 2017
His extended guilt-trip represents the cream of Feiffer's writing, exhibiting a sympathy for the victim of brutality even while pointing out that victim's pettiness and self-importance.

— ben sachs, Chicago Reader, "Comedy / Film The still-relevant satire Little Murders is the best movie in town this week," 14 Aug. 2017
Halo Top’s playful approach to making ice cream a guilt-free experience has won fans among both dessert lovers and health food enthusiasts since the brand launched in 2012.

— mahita gajanan, Fortune, "Halo Top CEO Insists His Ice Cream Is Healthy: ‘People Can Eat the Whole Pint’," 2 Aug. 2017
With no camera in the Santa Monica courtroom, a new set of lawyers and a lower threshold for guilt, Simpson was found liable for the deaths.

— stephanie becker, CNN, "O.J. Simpson's rise and fall, from football star to prisoner," 20 July 2017
Martin, 43, entered an Alford plea in November, meaning the defendant does not admit to guilt but agrees the state has enough evidence to convict him.

— andrew michaels, Laurel Leader, "Laurel man sentenced to 16 years in prison for wife's murder," 19 July 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'guilt.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of guilt

Middle English, delinquency, guilt, from Old English gylt delinquency

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: before 12th century

See Words from the same year

guilt Synonyms

Synonyms

contriteness, contrition, penitence, regret, remorse, remorsefulness, repentance, rue, self-reproach, shame

Antonyms

impenitence, remorselessness

GUILT Defined for English Language Learners

guilt

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noun

Definition of guilt for English Language Learners

: responsibility for a crime or for doing something bad or wrong
: a bad feeling caused by knowing or thinking that you have done something bad or wrong

GUILT Defined for Kids

guilt

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noun \ ˈgilt \

Definition of guilt for Students

1 :responsibility for having done something wrong and especially something against the law

He admitted his guilt.

2 :a feeling of shame or regret as a result of bad conduct

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guiltless

\-ləs\ adjective

Medical Dictionary

guilt

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noun \ ˈgilt \

medical Definition of guilt

:feelings of culpability especially for imagined offenses or from a sense of inadequacy :morbid self-reproach often manifest in marked preoccupation with the moral correctness of one's behavior