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
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
Roughly 1,000 people had accepted culpability and pleaded guilty.
—Jamie Thompson, The Atlantic, 6 Jan. 2026
In his complaint, Hernandez claimed Ziering knowingly lied to law enforcement to avoid his own culpability, resulting in his wrongful arrest and incarceration.
—Lauryn Overhultz, FOXNews.com, 2 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for culpability
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
Roughly 1,000 people had accepted culpability and pleaded guilty.
—Jamie Thompson, The Atlantic, 6 Jan. 2026
In his complaint, Hernandez claimed Ziering knowingly lied to law enforcement to avoid his own culpability, resulting in his wrongful arrest and incarceration.
—Lauryn Overhultz, FOXNews.com, 2 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for culpability
Recent Examples of Synonyms for culpability
Noun
-
When a book under performs, the cover often takes some blame.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
2 Feb. 2026
-
The sophomore was the Bruins’ best offensive player on Saturday, but couldn’t escape the blame.—
Aaron Heisen,
Daily News,
1 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
The shame, the guilt and the fear of the other is timeless.—
Rafa Sales Ross,
Variety,
1 Feb. 2026
-
The bank admitted fault in 13 out of the 101 cases tracked by the group, with the remaining 88 cases settled without an admission of guilt.—
Lily Mae Lazarus,
Fortune,
30 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Culpability.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/culpability. Accessed 5 Feb. 2026.
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