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
  • Elliott’s mother, Kyeisha Elliott, 37, pleaded guilty in September 2023 to accessory after the fact to first-degree murder.
    Josh Davis, Baltimore Sun, 12 Mar. 2026
  • All three defendants pleaded not guilty and were held without bail later that day at their arraignments in Queens Supreme Criminal Court.
    Colin Mixson, New York Daily News, 12 Mar. 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
  • Their problems are myriad and appear contagious, with just about every player culpable recently.
    Chris Waugh, New York Times, 2 Mar. 2026
  • 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
Adjective
  • The indictment includes the conspiracy count, which carries a maximum sentence of six years in federal prison, as well as several other counts of forcibly impeding a federal officer, each punishable by up to one year in federal prison.
    Jason Meisner, Chicago Tribune, 12 Mar. 2026
  • Vandalizing surfaces at more than 400 NPS sites can be a federal misdemeanor, punishable by up to six months in prison and fines of up to $5,000.
    Madison Dapcevich, Outside, 12 Mar. 2026
Adjective
  • In the way that Kleenex has become interchangeable with tissue, McCarthyism, for many, is an eponym for the unjust, reprehensible use of political power.
    Ali Breland, The Atlantic, 6 Mar. 2026
  • And if audiences or critics wish to reach for contemporary parallels drawn from other examples of reprehensible violence?
    Catherine Bray, Variety, 15 Feb. 2026
Adjective
  • He was medically cleared at a hospital and booked into the Sacramento County Main Jail on felony and misdemeanor charges, including felony evasion of a police officer while driving in a reckless manner.
    Camryn Dadey, Sacbee.com, 8 Mar. 2026
  • Police also arrested Ian McGinnis, 21, of Philadelphia, charging him with reckless endangerment, assault and unlawful possession of noxious matter and accusing him of spraying pepper spray at counterprotesters.
    Rocco Parascandola, New York Daily News, 8 Mar. 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 14 Mar. 2026.

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