as in blame
responsibility for wrongdoing or failure
cannot find culpability where there is neither knowledge that a crime has been committed nor evidence of intent to commit a crime
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Recent Examples of culpability
Daniel denied culpability, claiming that the funds supplied to Trevez had been for back pay performed while the couple were in Cuba.
—
News Desk, Artforum, 26 May 2026
Not Nico Harrison-level guilt, but culpability, which is why Kidd is no longer the head coach of the Dallas Mavericks.
—Mac Engel
may 20, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 20 May 2026
While both sides are poised to argue the intent and culpability of the May 2 shooting at future court dates, what isn’t up for debate is what happened next.
—Mark Morales, CNN Money, 14 May 2026
Multiple Democrats have come out in favor of ousting her, including two who called on her to resign shortly after the Ethics panel came back with its finding of her culpability.
—Jared Gans, The Hill, 21 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for culpability
News Desk, Artforum, 26 May 2026
Not Nico Harrison-level guilt, but culpability, which is why Kidd is no longer the head coach of the Dallas Mavericks.
—Mac Engel
may 20, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 20 May 2026
While both sides are poised to argue the intent and culpability of the May 2 shooting at future court dates, what isn’t up for debate is what happened next.
—Mark Morales, CNN Money, 14 May 2026
Multiple Democrats have come out in favor of ousting her, including two who called on her to resign shortly after the Ethics panel came back with its finding of her culpability.
—Jared Gans, The Hill, 21 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for culpability
Recent Examples of Synonyms for culpability
Noun
-
Fans split over who carries the blame, from the fighter and his team to the commission and the promotion.—
Brian Mazique,
Forbes.com,
20 June 2026
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Sellers place a lot of blame on Sundance’s online platform, but a major factor is streamers became primary buyers of Sundance films — and then the streamers opted out of compression and bet on ubiquity.—
Dana Harris-Bridson,
IndieWire,
19 June 2026
Noun
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Rather than adjudicating guilt, the filmmakers opted to leave the question of truth open to viewers.—
Naman Ramachandran,
Variety,
21 June 2026
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But moral injury, formidable as the idea is, doesn’t apply to Odysseus, who suffers from neither shame nor guilt.—
David Denby,
New Yorker,
21 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Culpability.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/culpability. Accessed 22 Jun. 2026.
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