Synonyms of guilty

guilty

adjective

ˈgil-tē 

as in ashamed

suffering from or expressive of a feeling of responsibility for wrongdoing

she was burdened with a guilty conscience after ignoring the stranger's request for help

Synonyms & Similar Words

• ashamed
• embarrassed
• apologetic
• sorry
• shamefaced
• shamed
• remorseful
• blushing
• repentant
• regretful
• culpable
• contrite
• penitent
• sheepish
• blameworthy
• penitential
• rueful
• compunctious
• blamable
• chagrined
• hangdog

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• shameless
• unashamed
• unrepentant
• remorseless
• brazen
• impudent
• innocent
• blameless
• cheeky
• unapologetic
• impenitent
• guiltless

Synonym Chooser

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

Some common synonyms of guilty are blamable, blameworthy, and culpable. While all these words mean "deserving reproach or punishment," guilty implies responsibility for or consciousness of crime, sin, or, at the least, grave error or misdoing.

guilty of a breach of etiquette

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

Both blameworthy and blamable apply to any degree of reprehensibility.

conduct adjudged blameworthy

an accident for which no one is blamable

When could culpable be used to replace guilty?

The words culpable and guilty are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, culpable is weaker than guilty and is likely to connote malfeasance or errors of ignorance, omission, or negligence.

culpable neglect

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of guilty

Accomplice pleaded guilty Cooper, 26, was identified as an accomplice in the deadly armed robbery and arrested as a suspect in the case. —Rosalio Ahumada, Sacbee.com, 5 Mar. 2026

Christopher Moynihan, a Capitol siege defendant from upstate New York, pleaded guilty earlier this year to a local charge in Dutchess County, New York, after allegedly threatening to murder House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries. —Scott MacFarlane, CBS News, 5 Mar. 2026

The guilty verdict against Colin Gray in school shooting case creates a dangerous precedent. —Kathleen Parker, Washington Post, 5 Mar. 2026

Anyone who has spent lots of time sitting in bleachers or on sideline chairs has seen it and at times might even have been a little guilty themselves. —Denise Crosby, Chicago Tribune, 5 Mar. 2026