culpable
adjective
cul·pa·ble
ˈkəl-pə-bəl 
1
: meriting condemnation or blame especially as wrong or harmful
culpable negligence
The defendant is culpable for her actions.
Synonyms
Examples of culpable in a Sentence
They held her culpable for the accident.
He's more culpable than the others because he's old enough to know better.
Recent Examples on the Web
Fauci, who was the longtime director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, pushed back on claims that the National Institutes of Health was culpable for research at the Wuhan lab in China.
—
Dominic Patten, Deadline, 20 Jan. 2025
Audits and jail time are also on the table if you are found culpable of tax fraud.
—Michael Gfoeller and David H. Rundell, Newsweek, 16 Jan. 2025
To be white is to be the exception here and, in a way, to be culpable.
—Jesse Green, New York Times, 16 Jan. 2025
The geopolitical consequences are profound, especially as a new president prepares to take office: If Russia, or any other country, were found culpable for violent attacks on U.S. government personnel, Washington would likely feel compelled to forcefully respond.
—Shane Harris, The Atlantic, 10 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for culpable 
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Dominic Patten, Deadline, 20 Jan. 2025
Audits and jail time are also on the table if you are found culpable of tax fraud.
—Michael Gfoeller and David H. Rundell, Newsweek, 16 Jan. 2025
To be white is to be the exception here and, in a way, to be culpable.
—Jesse Green, New York Times, 16 Jan. 2025
The geopolitical consequences are profound, especially as a new president prepares to take office: If Russia, or any other country, were found culpable for violent attacks on U.S. government personnel, Washington would likely feel compelled to forcefully respond.
—Shane Harris, The Atlantic, 10 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for culpable
Dictionary Entries Near culpable
Cite this Entry
“Culpable.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/culpable. Accessed 23 Jan. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
culpable
adjective
cul·pa·ble
ˈkəl-pə-bəl
: deserving blame
Legal Definition
culpable
adjective
cul·pa·ble
ˈkəl-pə-bəl
: deserving condemnation or blame as wrong or harmful
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