as in guilt
a feeling of responsibility for wrongdoing
he was filled with self-reproach for causing the accident
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Recent Examples of self-reproach
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
Photo: andrew caballero-reynolds/Agence France-Presse/Getty Images Festivus has its airing of grievances and the 2024 Democratic National Convention in August may feature the wailing of self-reproach.
—James Freeman, WSJ, 26 Dec. 2023
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
Photo: andrew caballero-reynolds/Agence France-Presse/Getty Images Festivus has its airing of grievances and the 2024 Democratic National Convention in August may feature the wailing of self-reproach.
—James Freeman, WSJ, 26 Dec. 2023
Recent Examples of Synonyms for self-reproach
Noun
-
The judge also made clear the scope of a preliminary hearing is limited, focused on whether prosecutors can establish probable cause, not determining guilt or innocence, but said the defense still needs sufficient time to prepare given the volume of material.—
Adam Sabes , Stepheny Price,
FOXNews.com,
8 May 2026
-
The guilt swells and swells while the sweater sits and sits.—
Liana Satenstein,
Vogue,
8 May 2026
Noun
-
Starring Miami-native stage and TV actor David Rosenberg, the one-man show set in the Bronx, is a heart-wrenching, but ultimately uplifting, story of faith, remorse and the human spirit.—
Ben Crandell,
Sun Sentinel,
6 May 2026
-
Fritz replied that the language of the letter showed empathy and remorse.—
Harriet Ramos,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
28 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
But by May 2027, the bruises suffered and the regrets carried may well be part of a different kind of journey.—
Sebastian Stafford-Bloor,
New York Times,
7 May 2026
-
One honest conversation can prevent years of misunderstanding, pain or regret later.—
Essence,
Essence,
6 May 2026
Noun
-
Traits once seen as stabilizing — empathy, humility, shame — are recast as liabilities in a world that prizes speed, dominance and certainty.—
Sarah DaVanzo,
Rolling Stone,
11 May 2026
-
Emotions such as guilt, shame, and jealousy may also reflect underlying concerns, relationships, or values.—
Wyles Daniel,
USA Today,
11 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Self-reproach.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/self-reproach. Accessed 13 May. 2026.
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