guilt

noun \ ˈgilt \

|Updated on: 20 Jul 2018

Examples: guilt in a Sentence

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

To T&C, Grant described the difficulty of playing a character whose guilt or innocence wasn't clear—despite his acquittal.

— elizabeth angell, Town & Country, "A Very English Scandal," 29 June 2018
Cavaliere’s uncle survived the Dorchester sinking and lived with the guilt of making it out without his best friend.

— mike newall, Philly.com, "In the Navy Yard's historic chapel, veterans help their own survive addiction | Mike Newall," 25 May 2018
The daughter, played by Millicent Simmonds, is a willful teen struggling with guilt over the death of her younger brother.

— aja romano, Vox, "Why A Quiet Place is the apocalyptic movie America needed," 27 Apr. 2018
Fraught with guilt, Chávez ended up favoring him during his years in power, those reports say, including another online news site, elindependiente.com.

— jay weaver and antonio maria delgado, miamiherald, "Ex-Venezuelan treasurer close to Chávez is target of Florida money-laundering probe | Miami Herald," 31 Mar. 2018
Photo courtesy Stacy Pope After Garrett’s death, Pope was wracked with guilt, thinking her son had committed suicide.

— melissa chan, Time, "Kids Are Playing the 'Choking Game' to Get High. Instead, They're Dying," 12 Mar. 2018
Three hours seated among these broken, ashamed women, wracked with guilt.

— alice gayraud, Marie Claire, "La Maison des Femmes," 10 Mar. 2018
Though societal norms have changed, the internal confusion, complicity, and guilt that people feel when faced with this kind of harassment seems to be a constant.

— julie miller, HWD, "GLOW Didn’t Need Harvey Weinstein to Inspire Its #MeToo Moment," 29 June 2018
The pair grapple with guilt and the meaning of freedom.

— The Economist, "The death of the archetypal Russian villain," 28 June 2018

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

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year

guilt Synonyms

Synonyms

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

Antonyms

impenitence, remorselessness;

blame, culpability, fault;

liability, rap, responsibility;

chagrin, embarrassment;

anguish, distress, grief, ruth, sadness, sorrow;

bloodguilt, bloodguiltiness;

apology, excuses, hand-wringing, mea culpa;

GUILT Defined for English Language Learners

guilt

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

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

—

guiltless

\-ləs\ adjective

Medical Dictionary

guilt

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