mea culpa

noun

mea cul·​pa ˌmā-ə-ˈku̇l-pə 

ˌmā-ä-,

-ˈku̇l-(ˌ)pä

: a formal acknowledgment of personal fault or error

The mayor's public mea culpa didn't satisfy his critics.

Did you know?

Mea culpa, which means "through my fault" in Latin, comes from a prayer of confession in the Catholic Church. Said by itself, it's an exclamation of apology or remorse that is used to mean "It was my fault" or "I apologize." Mea culpa is also a noun, however. A newspaper might issue a mea culpa for printing inaccurate information, or a politician might give a speech making mea culpas for past wrongdoings. Mea culpa is one of many English terms that derive from the Latin culpa, meaning "guilt." Some other examples are culpable ("meriting condemnation or blame especially as wrong or harmful"), culprit ("one guilty of a crime or a fault"), and exculpate ("to clear from alleged fault or guilt").

Examples of mea culpa in a Sentence

The mayor's public mea culpa didn't satisfy his critics.

Recent Examples on the Web

Lori Quigley, whose mother attended the school for 10 years, expected more than just an acknowledgment and a mea culpa. —Muri Assunção, New York Daily News, 20 May 2025

Both have appeared to tone down the tension, with Musk issuing a mea culpa days after their relationship imploded. —Elizabeth Crisp, The Hill, 13 June 2025

Listen to this article One night after Juan Soto was booed twice on his own home field, Mets fans gave him a mea culpa of sorts in the form of a standing ovation for a two-run double. —Abbey Mastracco, New York Daily News, 25 May 2025

Last week, in an effective mea culpa during the media business’ big upfront week of presentations for advertisers, the company said the service would be called HBO Max again. —Ryan Faughnder, Los Angeles Times, 20 May 2025

Word History

Etymology

Latin, through my fault

First Known Use

1602, in the meaning defined above

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