as in guilty
deserving reproach or blame
we were all equally blameworthy, whether we had openly approved the free-speech restrictions or simply kept quiet about them
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Recent Examples of blameworthy
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
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
But Miss Manners acknowledges that there is also the less blameworthy impulse to offer comfort — not just sympathy — when there is no real comfort to be offered.
—Judith Martin, The Mercury News, 11 Feb. 2025
To highlight the hazy line between blameworthy and praiseworthy failure, Edmondson routinely asks leaders to estimate the percentage of blameworthy mistakes in their organizations.
—Ann Kowal Smith, Forbes, 27 Nov. 2023
On the whole, Google's spam filter, though in this instance imperfect, is not morally blameworthy.
—Jon Brodkin, Ars Technica, 25 Aug. 2023
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
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
But Miss Manners acknowledges that there is also the less blameworthy impulse to offer comfort — not just sympathy — when there is no real comfort to be offered.
—Judith Martin, The Mercury News, 11 Feb. 2025
To highlight the hazy line between blameworthy and praiseworthy failure, Edmondson routinely asks leaders to estimate the percentage of blameworthy mistakes in their organizations.
—Ann Kowal Smith, Forbes, 27 Nov. 2023
On the whole, Google's spam filter, though in this instance imperfect, is not morally blameworthy.
—Jon Brodkin, Ars Technica, 25 Aug. 2023
Recent Examples of Synonyms for blameworthy
Adjective
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Attorney David Lira, 65, Girardi’s son-in-law, pleaded guilty last year to a criminal contempt charge for his willful failure to abide by the settlement payment order.—
Richard Winton,
Los Angeles Times,
6 Mar. 2026
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Cody Roberts, a Wyoming man accused of killing a wolf, changed his plea for felony animal cruelty to guilty.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
6 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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Their problems are myriad and appear contagious, with just about every player culpable recently.—
Chris Waugh,
New York Times,
2 Mar. 2026
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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
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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
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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
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If a minor fires the gun and inflicts harm on themselves or another individual, the person who failed to store the gun properly could face a felony punishable by up to 10 years in prison, a maximum fine of $7,500, or both.—
Paula Wethington,
CBS News,
5 Mar. 2026
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According to Idaho law, second-degree kidnapping is punishable by up to 25 years in prison.—
Shannon Tyler,
Idaho Statesman,
5 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Blameworthy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/blameworthy. Accessed 7 Mar. 2026.
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