culpability
noun
cul·pa·bil·i·ty
ˌkəl-pə-ˈbi-lə-tē 
: responsibility for wrongdoing or failure : the quality or state of being culpable
moral/legal/criminal culpability
He refuses to acknowledge his own culpability.
Culpability for our failure to reduce petroleum imports falls across the political spectrum.—
Gregg Easterbrook
Gregg Easterbrook
Examples of culpability in a Sentence
cannot find culpability where there is neither knowledge that a crime has been committed nor evidence of intent to commit a crime
Recent Examples on the Web
The question of the inheritance of culpability, perhaps even the genetic predisposition to sociopathy that one of them fears, is surely worth investigation.
—Jesse Green, New York Times, 14 May 2024
Bruno’s father, the Nazi commandant, feels very guilty about his son’s death—and perhaps for his broader culpability for the atrocities at Auschwitz, too.
—Ellen Wexler, Smithsonian Magazine, 2 May 2024
See all Example Sentences for culpability 
Jesse Green, New York Times, 14 May 2024
Bruno’s father, the Nazi commandant, feels very guilty about his son’s death—and perhaps for his broader culpability for the atrocities at Auschwitz, too.
—Ellen Wexler, Smithsonian Magazine, 2 May 2024
See all Example Sentences for culpability
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'culpability.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near culpability
Cite this Entry
“Culpability.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/culpability. Accessed 29 May. 2024.
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