Definition of blameworthynext

Synonym Chooser

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

Some common synonyms of blameworthy are blamable, 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 might culpable be a better fit than blameworthy?

Although the words culpable and blameworthy have much in common, culpable is weaker than guilty and is likely to connote malfeasance or errors of ignorance, omission, or negligence.

culpable neglect

When is guilty a more appropriate choice than blameworthy?

The words guilty and blameworthy 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

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.
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for blameworthy
Adjective
  • Hernandez was found guilty of three counts of first-degree murder, two counts each of second-degree robbery and attempted second-degree robbery, and one count of conspiracy to commit robbery, prosecutors said.
    Seamus Bozeman Follow, Los Angeles Times, 19 June 2026
  • In December 2024, Mangione pleaded not guilty to state murder, weapons and forgery charges brought by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg.
    Thao Nguyen, USA Today, 19 June 2026
Adjective
  • Yes, every life includes some unique and untold combination of experiences for which other people are morally culpable.
    Thomas Lake, AJC.com, 4 June 2026
  • The Delhi Police registered a case of culpable homicide not amounting to murder against unknown persons in connection with the fire and an investigation was underway.
    Arshad R. Zargar, CBS News, 3 June 2026
Adjective
  • His poor display of unsportsmanlike conduct was reprehensible.
    Kirk Bohls, Houston Chronicle, 7 Apr. 2026
  • Prisons are filled with the faithful and the daily news reports are overflowing with reprehensible, criminal, degenerate theists.
    Letters to the Editor, The Orlando Sentinel, 5 Apr. 2026
Adjective
  • If a jury accepts the defense, it is obligated to convict a defendant of manslaughter, which is punishable by up to 25 years in prison, instead of murder, which carries a potential life sentence.
    Michael R. Sisak, Los Angeles Times, 19 June 2026
  • Violating that law is punishable by up to 15 years in prison.
    Maureen Groppe, USA Today, 18 June 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Blameworthy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/blameworthy. Accessed 21 Jun. 2026.

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