Synonyms of blameworthy

blameworthy

adjective

ˈblām-ˌwər-t͟hē 

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

• guilty
• culpable
• reprehensible
• blamable
• punishable
• reckless
• bad
• censurable
• at fault
• improper
• criminal
• reproachable
• sinful
• foolish
• wrongful
• irresponsible
• illegal
• wicked
• unlawful
• indictable
• chargeable
• illicit
• illegitimate
• impeachable
• disciplinable
• amerciable

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• blameless
• perfect
• faultless
• impeccable
• pure
• irreproachable
• flawless
• innocent
• guiltless

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

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