culpability
kul-puh-BIL-ih-tee
/ˌkʌlpəˈbɪlɪti/
Responsibility for a fault, wrong, or crime; degree of blameworthiness.
Refers to the moral and legal measure of blame, varying according to intent and awareness.
The story behind the word. Traced to Latin 'culpabilitas', from 'culpa' (fault or blame). The ancient Latin phrase 'mea culpa' ('my fault') shares this exact root.
Word relationships
- blameworthiness: 'Blameworthiness' is an everyday Saxon term; 'culpability' is the formal legal and philosophical equivalent.
- guilt: 'Guilt' is binary (guilty vs not guilty); 'culpability' comes in degrees of severity and intent.
- innocence: Complete freedom from fault or blame.
- blamelessness: State of deserving no blame.
Commonly confused with
- liability: Liability refers to civil financial responsibility; culpability refers to moral and criminal blameworthiness.
Word family
- culpable (adjective): Deserving blame or considered responsible for a wrong.
- culprit (noun): A person responsible for an offense or misdeed.
Collocations
- assess culpability
- degree of culpability
- shared culpability
- moral culpability
Example sentences
- "The jury must determine the extent of the defendant's culpability before deciding on manslaughter versus murder." Legal determination
- "Both corporate executives shared equal culpability in concealing the dangerous defect from consumers." Corporate accountability
Memory hook
CULPABILITY = CULP-a (fault) + ability (ability to be blamed). CULPABILITY = Measure of blame (culpa).
When not to use
Do not use when speaking purely of legal guilt without regard to moral responsibility or degree.
Fun facts
- The word 'culprit' was created by a medieval clerk abbreviating 'culpable: prêt' (guilty: ready for trial) on court records.
Related words
Explore more words
culpable, liability, take responsibility, exculpate, dereliction, extenuation
Take your vocabulary further with LangBlitz
Our English vocabulary app: FSRS spaced repetition, 5,000+ curated words across 119 topic groups, CEFR A1 to C2. Explore your mastery with the beautiful Vocabulary World feature.