Definition of guilty
guiltier
;guiltiest
1 : justly chargeable with or responsible for a usually grave breach of conduct or a crime Does the defendant plead guilty or not guilty?
2 obsolete : justly liable to or deserving of a penalty
3a : suggesting or involving guilt The children exchanged guilty looks.b : aware of or suffering from guilt guilty consciences
From the M-W Editors
Examples of guilty in a Sentence
Do you think he's innocent or guilty?
Will the defendant plead guilty or not guilty?
The children exchanged guilty looks.
He was acting like someone with a guilty conscience.
There's no need to feel guilty about it.
Recent Examples of guilty from the Web
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Federal prosecutors are asking for up to 11 years in prison for Robert Bibbs, who pleaded guilty in December to a count of conspiracy to commit foreign murder of a U.S. national.
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Hunter pleaded guilty on May 11 to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and two counts of wire fraud.
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Despite his refusal to plead guilty, Spanier was convicted of child endangerment, a misdemeanor, on March 24.
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The Times-Picayune (http://bit.ly/2rUxfLa ) reports that Criminal District Court Judge Franz Zibilich found 66-year-old Van Ballard guilty of the felony charge on Tuesday.
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Courtroom Delay Under certain circumstances, such an admission could be cause for a judge to reject a guilty plea.
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Defendants found guilty of subversion can face up to life in prison, although shorter sentences are more common.
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McBath, who lives in Marietta, Georgia, believes the guilty will more likely escape convictions.
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Ruan and his partner, Dr. John Patrick Couch, were found guilty in late February, at the end of a seven-week trial.
These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'guilty'. Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Origin and Etymology of guilty
see guilt
Synonym Discussion of guilty
Other Legal Terms
GUILTY Defined for English Language Learners
guilty
playDefinition of guilty for English Language Learners
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: responsible for committing a crime or doing something bad or wrong
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: showing that you know you have done something bad or wrong
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: feeling bad because you have done something bad or wrong or because you believe you have done something bad or wrong
GUILTY Defined for Kids
guilty
playDefinition of guilty for Students
guiltier
;guiltiest
1 : responsible for having done wrong
2 : suffering from or showing bad feelings about having done wrong I feel guilty about lying.
guiltily
\-tə-lē\ adverbLaw Dictionary
guilty
Legal Definition of guilty
guiltier
guiltiest
1 : having committed a crime : justly charged with a specified crime guilty of larceny
2 : involving guilt or culpabilityguilty knowledge
guilty
Legal Definition of guilty
1 : a plea of a criminal defendant who does not intend to contest the charges
2 : a verdict of a jury that believes the defendant committed the crime charged — compare nolo contendere, not guilty, not guilty by reason of insanity
Learn More about guilty
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See words that rhyme with guilty Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for guilty Spanish Central: Translation of guilty Nglish: Translation of guilty for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of guilty for Arabic speakers
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