as in guilt
a feeling of responsibility for wrongdoing
he was filled with self-reproach for causing the accident
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of self-reproach
On the one hand, self-reproach is a convenient stance for showrunner Ryan Condal to take.
—
Ben Travers,
IndieWire,
15 June 2026
Laughing, by contrast, conveyed that the person understood the mistake was trivial and didn’t require dramatic self-reproach.
—
Angela Haupt,
Time,
27 Feb. 2026
Recently, many have depicted motherhood as a harrowing ordeal of failure and self-reproach.
—
Rebecca Mead,
New Yorker,
30 Jan. 2026
The self-reproaches are reproaches against a loved object which have been shifted away from it on to the patient’s ego.
—
Gary Greenberg,
Harpers Magazine,
18 June 2025
That guilt can deepen the cycle, turning what started as self-care into self-reproach.
—
Christine Michel Carter,
Parents,
20 May 2025
Orsolya is apparently wracked with feelings of complicity, though the film, which is made up mainly of extended shots of her conversations with other people, questions the sincerity of her self-reproach against a backdrop of ethnic tension and neoliberal sprawl in Romania.
—
Beatrice Loayza,
New York Times,
21 Feb. 2025
Amanda’s self-reproach expresses a depressed national mood.
—
Armond White,
National Review,
10 Apr. 2024
Jihan was overtaken by bitterness and self-reproach.
—
Anand Gopal,
The New Yorker,
11 Mar. 2024
Ben Travers,
IndieWire,
15 June 2026
Laughing, by contrast, conveyed that the person understood the mistake was trivial and didn’t require dramatic self-reproach.
—
Angela Haupt,
Time,
27 Feb. 2026
Recently, many have depicted motherhood as a harrowing ordeal of failure and self-reproach.
—
Rebecca Mead,
New Yorker,
30 Jan. 2026
The self-reproaches are reproaches against a loved object which have been shifted away from it on to the patient’s ego.
—
Gary Greenberg,
Harpers Magazine,
18 June 2025
That guilt can deepen the cycle, turning what started as self-care into self-reproach.
—
Christine Michel Carter,
Parents,
20 May 2025
Orsolya is apparently wracked with feelings of complicity, though the film, which is made up mainly of extended shots of her conversations with other people, questions the sincerity of her self-reproach against a backdrop of ethnic tension and neoliberal sprawl in Romania.
—
Beatrice Loayza,
New York Times,
21 Feb. 2025
Amanda’s self-reproach expresses a depressed national mood.
—
Armond White,
National Review,
10 Apr. 2024
Jihan was overtaken by bitterness and self-reproach.
—
Anand Gopal,
The New Yorker,
11 Mar. 2024
Recent Examples of Synonyms for self-reproach
Noun
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Murdaugh’s attorneys appealed the convictions, saying the trial was tainted by the county clerk Becky Hill’s inappropriate comments to jurors implying his guilt.
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Graf said that comment violated a rule prohibiting prosecutors from expressing their opinion about the guilt or innocence of a defendant.
Noun
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The communication reportedly did not seek payment and included language expressing remorse, a detail experts say is unusual in genuine ransom demands.
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In an Instagram story, the woman credited with posting the video sharing the Post’s reporting expressed remorse over the situation.
Noun
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In a pricey travel year, travelers are adopting savvy strategies to enjoy high-end experiences with less financial regret.
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The independent channel exposes that mistake early enough to stop it from becoming a warehouse full of regret.
Noun
-
According to Ronan, many individuals arrive at treatment carrying significant emotional burdens that include shame, disappointment, trauma, and self-doubt.
-
The conditions that drive transmission — silence, shame, and avoidance — remain largely unchanged.
Cite this Entry
“Self-reproach.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/self-reproach. Accessed 29 Jun. 2026.
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