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
-
Relieved of their blindfolds, the men now wore heavy rucksacks filled with colored rocks representing their anger (red), guilt and shame (black), and sadness (blue).—
Charles Bethea,
New Yorker,
30 Mar. 2026
-
Ashleigh Stovall described the guilt of having a good day, the confusion of feeling fine, then feeling terrible about giving herself permission to experience anything but sadness.—
Brit McCandless Farmer,
CBS News,
29 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Yet if the denial of a driver’s license is based on such arbitrary factors as a victim’s advocacy, or a defendant’s remorse, or public opinion, or the whims of state bureaucrats, the results are inconsistent.—
Rachel Swan,
San Francisco Chronicle,
25 Mar. 2026
-
But the judge said that, given Lau's age, her lack of a criminal record, and her remorse, the sentence was appropriate.—
Da Lin,
CBS News,
21 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Your position urging Broward County to choose resiliency over regret reflected exactly why so many residents felt compelled to speak up.—
Sun Sentinel Editorial Board,
Sun Sentinel,
27 Mar. 2026
-
It may be printed out and boxed in a closet, marked with notes and red ink, held together by binder clips and regret.—
JD Barker,
Rolling Stone,
25 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Relieved of their blindfolds, the men now wore heavy rucksacks filled with colored rocks representing their anger (red), guilt and shame (black), and sadness (blue).—
Charles Bethea,
New Yorker,
30 Mar. 2026
-
No matter, this is his first real walk of shame, and the grin on his face is worth a million bucks.—
Erin Qualey,
Vulture,
30 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Self-reproach.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/self-reproach. Accessed 1 Apr. 2026.
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