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
The autopsy report, however, is only a classification of how the person died and does in itself not imply that the death was intentional or determine any criminal culpability.
—
Siladitya Ray, Forbes.com, 22 Jan. 2026
The Pick Six column wades into the Packers’ fourth-quarter collapse to assess LaFleur’s culpability, while all wait to hear whether the organization extends the coach’s contract or considers moving in another direction.
—Mike Sando, New York Times, 12 Jan. 2026
Implying that the chatbot and image generation program itself is accountable allows people to hide from their own culpability in the bot’s shadow.
—James Folta, Literary Hub, 8 Jan. 2026
When Congress was writing the drug laws in the 1980s and ‘90s, it was thought that higher purity in meth suggested greater culpability.
—Kevin Krause, Dallas Morning News, 6 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for culpability
Siladitya Ray, Forbes.com, 22 Jan. 2026
The Pick Six column wades into the Packers’ fourth-quarter collapse to assess LaFleur’s culpability, while all wait to hear whether the organization extends the coach’s contract or considers moving in another direction.
—Mike Sando, New York Times, 12 Jan. 2026
Implying that the chatbot and image generation program itself is accountable allows people to hide from their own culpability in the bot’s shadow.
—James Folta, Literary Hub, 8 Jan. 2026
When Congress was writing the drug laws in the 1980s and ‘90s, it was thought that higher purity in meth suggested greater culpability.
—Kevin Krause, Dallas Morning News, 6 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for culpability
Recent Examples of Synonyms for culpability
Noun
-
Kondayya puts some of the blame for the crash on the city, alleging the backhoe was parked illegally.—
Sheetal Banchariya,
New York Daily News,
15 Mar. 2026
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Pakistan accuses the Afghan Taliban of harboring Pakistani militant groups; both sides deny targeting civilians while trading blame for attacks.—
Munir Ahmed,
Los Angeles Times,
14 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Rarely have an actor's eyes been put to such good use, as Murphy's thousand-yard stare communicates guilt, regret, and anxious anticipation of how his life's work will impact the world for generations to come.—
Devan Coggan,
Entertainment Weekly,
15 Mar. 2026
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His parents, Frank and Tiffany Urrutia, said they were stunned to hear Perez admit guilt during Thursday’s court hearing.—
Abby Dodge,
Miami Herald,
14 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Culpability.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/culpability. Accessed 16 Mar. 2026.
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