as in guilty
deserving reproach or blame
are you any less culpable for murder if you acted in the heat of passion?
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Recent Examples of culpable
The majority sees no problem in executing someone whose co-defendant might have been more culpable but was smart enough to cop a deal to elude the death penalty.
—
Orlando Sentinel, The Orlando Sentinel, 10 June 2025
Extensive testing showed no genetic or environmental cause for her son’s condition, yet Hess felt somehow culpable.
—Hannah Jocelyn, New Yorker, 25 Apr. 2025
Meanwhile, conspiracy theories about the police and who was culpable are swirling on social media.
—Laura Washington, Chicago Tribune, 11 June 2025
Two of the men have co-defendants who are the more culpable killers, who are not being executed.
—Khaleda Rahman, MSNBC Newsweek, 3 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for culpable
Orlando Sentinel, The Orlando Sentinel, 10 June 2025
Extensive testing showed no genetic or environmental cause for her son’s condition, yet Hess felt somehow culpable.
—Hannah Jocelyn, New Yorker, 25 Apr. 2025
Meanwhile, conspiracy theories about the police and who was culpable are swirling on social media.
—Laura Washington, Chicago Tribune, 11 June 2025
Two of the men have co-defendants who are the more culpable killers, who are not being executed.
—Khaleda Rahman, MSNBC Newsweek, 3 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for culpable
Recent Examples of Synonyms for culpable
Adjective
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In September, the former newsreader was handed a six-month prison sentence suspended for two years after pleading guilty to making indecent images of children.—
Lily Ford,
HollywoodReporter,
15 July 2025
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Jessica Leslie agreed to plead guilty to a charge of criminal contempt that accused her of willfully disobeying court rules against disclosure of grand jury information.—
Aaron Katersky,
ABC News,
15 July 2025
Adjective
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His Stoic Challenge framework invites you to see a setback not as something terrible, blameworthy or unfair but instead as a test of your ingenuity and resilience.—
Hanna Hart,
Forbes.com,
29 May 2025
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But Miss Manners acknowledges that there is also the less blameworthy impulse to offer comfort — not just sympathy — when there is no real comfort to be offered.—
Judith Martin,
The Mercury News,
11 Feb. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Culpable.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/culpable. Accessed 30 Jul. 2025.
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