Definition of blamablenext

Synonym Chooser

How is the word blamable different from other adjectives like it?

Some common synonyms of blamable are blameworthy, culpable, and guilty. While all these words 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

When could culpable be used to replace blamable?

While the synonyms culpable and blamable are close in meaning, culpable is weaker than guilty and is likely to connote malfeasance or errors of ignorance, omission, or negligence.

culpable neglect

When would guilty be a good substitute for blamable?

The words guilty and blamable are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, guilty implies responsibility for or consciousness of crime, sin, or, at the least, grave error or misdoing.

guilty of a breach of etiquette

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for blamable
Adjective
  • Georgalis said a jury may be able to find Ortiz guilty by association.
    Ryan Gaydos, FOXNews.com, 6 Feb. 2026
  • Four Navy veterans had already pleaded guilty to their roles in the conspiracy before this latest indictment.
    Steve Patterson, Florida Times-Union, 5 Feb. 2026
Adjective
  • Extreme cold made the O-rings fail, but NASA’s culture was just as blameworthy and needed a retrofit more urgently than any piece of shuttle hardware.
    Meghan Bartels, Scientific American, 28 Jan. 2026
  • As the shutdown goes on, moreover, the polling on which side is more to blame seems to be gradually shifting toward Democrats as the more blameworthy side.
    Josh Hammer, MSNBC Newsweek, 17 Oct. 2025
Adjective
  • The person with knowledge of the situation said Scavino was not responsible for the post but did not identify the culpable individual.
    Shelby Talcott, semafor.com, 6 Feb. 2026
  • Bessent also refused to retract his comments suggesting Alex Pretti, the ICU nurse killed by federal law enforcement in Minneapolis, was culpable in his own death by being armed.
    Fritz Farrow, ABC News, 5 Feb. 2026
Adjective
  • Failure to comply with either city ordinance requiring snow to be removed from sidewalks and icy sidewalks to be made safe is punishable by a fine of no more than $25.
    Matthew Cupelli, Cincinnati Enquirer, 3 Feb. 2026
  • The violation of licensing requirements and conspiracy to commit violation of licensing requirements offenses are punishable by up to five years in prison.
    Staff Report, Hartford Courant, 3 Feb. 2026
Adjective
  • Sins of Kujo, adapted from Shohei Manabe’s manga, casts Yuya Yagira as a morally ambiguous lawyer who defends society’s most reprehensible figures, a dark, adult-skewing legal drama.
    Patrick Brzeski, HollywoodReporter, 27 Jan. 2026
  • The sickening lies told about our son by the administration are reprehensible and disgusting.
    WCCO Staff, CBS News, 24 Jan. 2026
Adjective
  • Later that month, a reckless driver trying to flee police hit and killed a 28-year-old man.
    Francesca Pica, jsonline.com, 26 Jan. 2026
  • The Oceanside City Council recently revised their e-bike ordinance to allow law enforcement to confiscate e-bikes from reckless riders.
    Hannah Elsmore, San Diego Union-Tribune, 26 Jan. 2026
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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Cite this Entry

“Blamable.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/blamable. Accessed 8 Feb. 2026.

More from Merriam-Webster on blamable

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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