Synonyms of culpable

culpable

adjective

ˈkəl-pə-bəl 

as in guilty

deserving reproach or blame

are you any less culpable for murder if you acted in the heat of passion?

Synonyms & Similar Words

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

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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

Synonym Chooser

How is the word culpable different from other adjectives like it?

Some common synonyms of culpable are blamable, blameworthy, and guilty. While all these words mean "deserving reproach or punishment," culpable is weaker than guilty and is likely to connote malfeasance or errors of ignorance, omission, or negligence.

culpable neglect

How are the words blameworthy and blamable related as synonyms of culpable?

Both blameworthy and blamable apply to any degree of reprehensibility.

conduct adjudged blameworthy

an accident for which no one is blamable

When could guilty be used to replace culpable?

While in some cases nearly identical to culpable, 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 culpable

The character reveals little with her expressions: a defensive mechanism that’s served her well in service jobs, and as a seeming (though not culpable) co-conspirator in the burglary that landed her husband in jail. —Manuel Betancourt, Variety, 28 Mar. 2025

Per the outlet, the police have opened a case into the amusement park into possible negligence and culpable homicide not amounting to murder. —Rachel Raposas, People.com, 8 Apr. 2025

While research in that realm is in its infancy, some experts hypothesize that environmental factors influenced by climate change could be culpable in the uptick in kidney stone cases among children. —The Washington Post, San Diego Union-Tribune, 18 Mar. 2025

The film doesn’t ask about the decision-making behind this outcome, but a consistent theme emerges relating to the question of who is culpable. —Nina Metz, Chicago Tribune, 12 Mar. 2025