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
  • In May 2023, Los Angeles Superior Court jury found Masterson guilty of two counts of rape, per the Los Angeles Times.
    Charlotte Phillipp, PEOPLE, 25 Oct. 2025
  • Brodie, whowas found guilty of violating American sanctions on Cuba in the early 2000s, was denied pardon by former President Joe Biden in 2023.
    Melanie Hicken, CNN Money, 24 Oct. 2025
Adjective
  • 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
  • His Stoic Challenge framework invites you to see a setback not as something terrible, blameworthy or unfair but instead as a test of your ingenuity and resilience.
    Hanna Hart, Forbes.com, 29 May 2025
Adjective
  • Also in the Prem, Chris Richards was arguably culpable on Liverpool’s late equalizer, but was then spared by Eddie Nketiah’s dramatic 97th-minute winner.
    Henry Bushnell, New York Times, 29 Sep. 2025
  • Chicago's lawsuit says Glock has sold its firearms, despite knowing they can be easily converted, and Glock and stores like Eagles Sports Range are culpable for the spread of modified handguns.
    David Clarey, jsonline.com, 24 Sep. 2025
Adjective
  • These acts are punishable crimes, and every single threat will be met with the full force of the law.
    Mandy Taheri, MSNBC Newsweek, 17 Oct. 2025
  • Rinderknecht was arrested earlier this month in Florida and initially charged by federal prosecutors in a criminal complaint with one count of destruction of property by means of fire, an offense punishable by up to 20 years in federal prison.
    Steve Gorman, USA Today, 16 Oct. 2025
Adjective
  • All hate crimes are reprehensible.
    Hussein Ibish, The Atlantic, 7 Oct. 2025
  • Repressed and lingering scars from childhood can certainly cause pain for entire communities and be a catalyst for terrible and reprehensible behaviors.
    Erin Qualey, Vulture, 25 Sep. 2025
Adjective
  • The defense also contends that Trump, as a public figure, must show actual malice—proof that the Journal knew its reporting was false or acted with reckless disregard for the truth—and that the complaint fails to do so.
    Robert Alexander, MSNBC Newsweek, 21 Oct. 2025
  • Western leaders largely dismissed these overt signals, assuming Putin would not be reckless enough to risk crippling sanctions, economic isolation, and a costly war.
    Big Think, Big Think, 20 Oct. 2025
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 25 Oct. 2025.

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