culpable
KUL-puh-bul
/ˈkʌlpəbl/
Deserving blame; guilty of a crime or misdeed.
Culpable is often used to describe negligence—when someone didn't necessarily mean to cause harm but is still responsible because they were careless.
The story behind the word. In Latin, 'Mea culpa' means 'my fault.' Culpable is the adjective form, describing anyone who has a 'culpa' attached to their name.
Word relationships
- blameworthy: Blameworthy is more common; culpable is more formal and legalistic.
- guilty: Guilty is a definitive legal state; culpable is a descriptive state of deserving blame.
- innocent: Innocent means free from guilt.
- blameless: Blameless means not deserving any criticism.
Commonly confused with
- capable: Capable means having the ability to do something; culpable means being to blame for something.
Word family
- culpability (noun): Responsibility for a fault or wrong; blame.
- exculpate (verb): To free from blame.
Collocations
- culpable negligence
- found culpable
- highly culpable
Example sentences
- "The company was found culpable for the environmental damage caused by the leak." Legal Liability
- "Is a person truly culpable if they were forced to commit the act under duress?" Moral Philosophy
Memory hook
Culpable: The 'Culp' (culprit) is 'Able' to be blamed. Deserving of blame.
When not to use
Do not use for 'guilty' in a simple 'yes/no' sense in a trial; use it to describe the quality of being blameworthy.
Fun facts
- In law, 'culpable homicide' is a term used in some countries for killing someone through negligence rather than intent.
Related words
Explore more words
culpability, guilty, dereliction, censure, condemn, punitive
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