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

Where are all the mea culpas by the masses who overthrew the Shah and condemned everyone to wars and rule by Ayatollahs for decades? —Melik Kaylan, Forbes.com, 22 Jan. 2026

Sturm offered a postgame mea culpa. —Jess Myers, Twin Cities, 16 Jan. 2026

Yet Hiller’s latest equivocating mea culpa, with the now-familiar language of hardship and defeatism so unbecoming of a professional hockey team, rang unconvincing. —Andrew Knoll, Daily News, 13 Jan. 2026

His mea culpa included a statement from his own wife. —Brian Niemietz, Mercury News, 7 Jan. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Latin, through my fault

First Known Use

1602, in the meaning defined above