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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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In separate hearings Wednesday that were held minutes apart in the same courtroom, Lalita M. Arnold and Renee Walton-Jenkins pleaded guilty and were sentenced to one year on probation.
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BNP PARIBAS, France’s biggest bank, pleaded guilty in America three years ago to assisting a monstrous regime in east Africa.
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Jerry Crenshaw Jr. pleaded guilty in 1993 to sexual misconduct, theft, attempted assault, aggravated assault and criminal mischief, according to court records.
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If he had been found guilty of capital murder, Cartwright would be sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole or the death penalty.
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All of us, at one time or another, are guilty as charged.
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Not feeling guilty about leaving your pups at home can be another reward as many restaurants are opening their patios, beer gardens and sidewalk cafes to canines, too.
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Astarita was next to a federal defender, who entered a not guilty plea on all counts.
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Dustin Donlan, then 18, originally faced the same charges as Kisner but pleaded guilty to one count of burglary last year.
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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