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
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
One of the many poignant aspects of Nick’s early death is that his friends have carried a lifelong sense of regret and even self-reproach.
—Lily Moayeri, SPIN, 18 Dec. 2023
For an artist, self-reproach and self-aggrandizement can be two faces of the same mirror.
—Sara Holdren, Vulture, 30 Nov. 2023
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
One of the many poignant aspects of Nick’s early death is that his friends have carried a lifelong sense of regret and even self-reproach.
—Lily Moayeri, SPIN, 18 Dec. 2023
For an artist, self-reproach and self-aggrandizement can be two faces of the same mirror.
—Sara Holdren, Vulture, 30 Nov. 2023
Recent Examples of Synonyms for self-reproach
Noun
-
Such comparisons are too easily drawn, with too much self-righteousness, as though the guilt for what was done to the Jews could be lightened just a little by likening them to their own murderers.—
Ian Buruma,
New Yorker,
22 Sep. 2025
-
Not the president making those decisions, who has neither the education nor the experience to judge whether there are facts sufficient to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt under a statute in this country.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
21 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
Second, develop a comprehensive penalty-phase record (mental-health history, background, age, remorse, and other individualized factors) aimed at convincing at least one juror to vote for life.—
Robert Alexander,
MSNBC Newsweek,
19 Sep. 2025
-
Van Niman's attorney Robert Jones told The Enquirer that Van Niman has expressed deep remorse for what happened.—
Kevin Grasha,
Cincinnati Enquirer,
19 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
Across his many years in the entertainment industry, Glen Powell doesn't have many regrets — save for one decades-old reality TV appearance.—
Charlotte Phillipp,
PEOPLE,
27 Sep. 2025
-
In between clips of the film subject’s standup sets, Dustin, who’s rarely seen without a drink or a cigarette, talks about his and his father’s bipolar depression, his struggle with alcohol and regrets he’s harbored throughout his life.—
Frank DiGiacomo,
Billboard,
26 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
And on the top right are the inhibitory emotions — emotions like anxiety, shame and guilt; their job is to push down our core emotions, which are at the bottom of the triangle.—
CNN Money,
CNN Money,
25 Sep. 2025
-
Being intimate with Olivia helped my shame dissipate.—
Emma Specter,
Vogue,
25 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Self-reproach.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/self-reproach. Accessed 30 Sep. 2025.
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