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
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
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
On the whole, Google's spam filter, though in this instance imperfect, is not morally blameworthy.
—Jon Brodkin, Ars Technica, 25 Aug. 2023
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
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
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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She was later convicted of killing Noah, 7, John, 5, Paul, 3, Luke, 2, and 6-month-old Mary in 2002 before her conviction was overturned and she was granted a retrial where the verdict was not guilty by reason of insanity.—
Caroline Blair,
PEOPLE,
15 Jan. 2026
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Liang pled not guilty to the charges and was released without bail.—
Colin Mixson,
New York Daily News,
15 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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Jurors found Texas blogger Milagro Cooper culpable of defamation, and has been ordered to pay Megan Thee Stallion, whose real name is Megan Pete, $75,000.—
Steven Yablonski,
CBS News,
1 Dec. 2025
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As much as those who exploited Holocaust memory and human-rights discourse for potential gain, the anti-totalitarians are culpable for the near-total breakdown of political and moral norms today.—
Victor J. Blue,
Harpers Magazine,
23 Nov. 2025
Adjective
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And though the most appalling moments from such shows tend to go the most viral, the shows themselves are not uniformly reprehensible.—
Jon Allsop,
New Yorker,
13 Dec. 2025
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At the same time, the barrage of vitriol unleashed by China castigating Takaichi as a warmongering militarist includes a reprehensible threat by the Chinese consul-general in Osaka about beheading Takaichi.—
Jeff Kingston,
Time,
30 Nov. 2025
Adjective
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Insurrection is one of the few crimes still punishable by death in the country.—
Hakyung Kate Lee,
ABC News,
14 Jan. 2026
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Interference with public duties is typically a Class B misdemeanor, punishable by up to 180 days in jail and a fine of up to $2,000, according to the Texas Penal Code.—
Tiffani Jackson,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
13 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Blameworthy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/blameworthy. Accessed 16 Jan. 2026.
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