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 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 Additionally, studies show that people often direct retribution toward groups rather than individuals, such that people seeking revenge consider all Israelis or all Palestinians to be collectively blameworthy for the most extreme actions of a small number of people. Joshua Rottman, Scientific American, 20 Nov. 2023 Those blameworthy influencers, in turn, must identify their respective influences and apportion blame among them. Joshua Rothman, The New Yorker, 13 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
  • Gein was found guilty of murder, but in a follow-up proceeding was ruled to be not guilty — again by reason of insanity.
    JR Radcliffe, USA Today, 4 Oct. 2025
  • Shadolla Peterson pleaded guilty to being an accessory after the fact and received a six-year probationary sentence, while Pike's then-boyfriend Tadaryl Shipp was convicted of first-degree murder and was sentenced to life.
    Evan Mealins, Nashville Tennessean, 3 Oct. 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
  • 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
  • Free speech scholars maintain the most vile and reprehensible speech, including that which celebrates someone's death, is legally protected — not from the consequences meted by private employers, but from government suppression.
    Taylor Seely, AZCentral.com, 20 Sep. 2025
Adjective
  • The Norwegian parliament voted to lift its ban on professional boxing, which had been punishable with up to three months in jail, by a slim majority of 54 to 48.
    George Ramsay, CNN Money, 3 Oct. 2025
  • Aggravated perjury is a third-degree felony, punishable by a prison sentence of two to 10 years and a fine of up to $10,000.
    Lillie Davidson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 2 Oct. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Blameworthy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/blameworthy. Accessed 9 Oct. 2025.

More from Merriam-Webster on blameworthy

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