guilty

adjective \ ˈgil-tē \

Updated on: 17 Apr 2018

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

3 a : suggesting or involving guilt

The children exchanged guilty looks.

b : aware of or suffering from guilt

guilty consciences

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guiltily

play \ˈgil-tə-lē\ adverb

—

guiltiness

play \ˈgil-tē-nəs\ noun

See guilty defined for English-language learners

See guilty defined for kids

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

Valiante has pleaded guilty to hindering prosecution and is serving an eight-year sentence.

— dave altimari, courant.com, "Trial of Kyle Navin, Accused of Murdering His Parents, Set To Begin," 13 Apr. 2018
Bates pleaded guilty to eight felonies in January rather than stand trial with Uresti.

— patrick danner, San Antonio Express-News, "Convicted state Sen. Uresti surrenders law license," 13 Apr. 2018
Backpage pleads guilty to facilitating prostitution.

— polina marinova, Fortune, "Term Sheet -- Friday April 13," 13 Apr. 2018
Sarah Hart pleaded guilty to domestic assault in 2011, admitting that she had gotten carried away while disciplining her 6-year-old child.

— anne branigin, The Root, "Neighbor’s Father Called 911 After Hart Child Jumped out of Window and Begged for Help Months Before Fatal Car Crash," 12 Apr. 2018
Sawyer pleaded not guilty to first-degree attempted murder, aggravated assault with a weapon and two counts of aggravated attempted murder after being accused of bringing a gun onto the campus of Fair Haven Union High School.

— michael livingston, latimes.com, "Vermont OKs gun controls, while Louisiana scuttles bid to raise age for buying assault weapons," 12 Apr. 2018
The chief executive, Carl Ferrer, pleaded guilty to one charge of conspiracy and three counts of money laundering in California, and to money laundering in Texas, the states’ attorneys general announced.

— maggie astor, New York Times, "Backpage Chief Pleads Guilty to Conspiracy and Money Laundering," 12 Apr. 2018
On Monday, 50-year-old Michael Claude Watson, a previous chief at the Bangor Volunteer Fire Department, pleaded guilty to two felony crimes on 2013 charges of using public funds in excess of $2,500.

— carol robinson, AL.com, "2nd Blount County fire chief convicted of felony theft," 12 Apr. 2018
Smith pleaded guilty to robbery with a dangerous weapon and illegally carrying a handgun in 1992.

— colin campbell, baltimoresun.com, "Baltimore Police charge two men in separate killings," 11 Apr. 2018

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

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: before 12th century

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year

guilty Synonyms

Synonym Discussion of guilty

blameworthy, blamable, guilty, culpable mean deserving reproach or punishment. blameworthy and blamable apply to any degree of reprehensibility.

- conduct adjudged blameworthy
- an accident for which no one is blamable

guilty implies responsibility for or consciousness of crime, sin, or, at the least, grave error or misdoing.

- guilty of a breach of etiquette

culpable is weaker than guilty and is likely to connote malfeasance or errors of ignorance, omission, or negligence.

- culpable neglect

Other Legal Terms

actionable, alienable, carceral, chattel, complicity, decedent, larceny, malfeasance, modus operandi

GUILTY Defined for English Language Learners

guilty

adjective

Definition of guilty for English Language Learners

: responsible for committing a crime or doing something bad or wrong
: showing that you know you have done something bad or wrong
: 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

adjective \ ˈgil-tē \

Definition 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.

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guiltily

\-tə-lē\ adverb

Law Dictionary

guilty

adjective

legal Definition of guilty

guiltier; guiltiest

1 : having committed a crime : justly charged with a specified crime

guilty of larceny

2 : involving guilt or culpability

guilty knowledge

guilty

noun

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