as in blame
responsibility for wrongdoing or failure
cannot find culpability where there is neither knowledge that a crime has been committed nor evidence of intent to commit a crime
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Recent Examples of culpability
Sam becomes the subject of an intense missing persons investigation and a dead giveaway for Robbie’s culpability should he be discovered by Perry (Jamie McShane), a biker gang member seeking revenge for the crime.
—
Keith Phipps, Vulture, 6 Oct. 2025
The aversion to speaking of death is compounded by collective culpability.
—Yangyang Cheng, NPR, 4 Oct. 2025
Nevertheless, no substantial evidence has ever proved Gein’s culpability.
—Andrew McGowan, Variety, 3 Oct. 2025
Khan, who led the agency in bringing the lawsuit against Amazon, suggested that the FTC had absolved the company of its full culpability by agreeing to settle.
—Miranda Jeyaretnam, Time, 26 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for culpability
Keith Phipps, Vulture, 6 Oct. 2025
The aversion to speaking of death is compounded by collective culpability.
—Yangyang Cheng, NPR, 4 Oct. 2025
Nevertheless, no substantial evidence has ever proved Gein’s culpability.
—Andrew McGowan, Variety, 3 Oct. 2025
Khan, who led the agency in bringing the lawsuit against Amazon, suggested that the FTC had absolved the company of its full culpability by agreeing to settle.
—Miranda Jeyaretnam, Time, 26 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for culpability
Recent Examples of Synonyms for culpability
Noun
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While no blame was assigned, the hearings were open to the public and often gave interested parties, including family members of the person killed, their first opportunity for answers.—
Nate Gartrell,
Mercury News,
8 Nov. 2025
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Both cases are apt to serve as models for how to prevent the kind of school shootings still plaguing the nation and could set legal precedent for who shoulders the blame when children have access to guns and open fire on campus.—
Cindy Von Quednow,
CNN Money,
7 Nov. 2025
Noun
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Robertas Petraitis, known from Lithuania’s 2026 Oscar contender The Southern Chronicles, stars as Andrius, who is full of grief and guilt after a masked intruder kills his secret lover Deividas (Elvinas Juodkazis), who is Lithuania’s most influential human rights activist.—
Georg Szalai,
HollywoodReporter,
10 Nov. 2025
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Baramulla ultimately transcends its supernatural thriller form to become a parable about guilt, faith, and collective memory.—
Isadora Wandermurem,
Time,
8 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Culpability.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/culpability. Accessed 18 Nov. 2025.
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