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 EasterbrookExamples 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
Not Nico Harrison-level guilt, but culpability, which is why Kidd is no longer the head coach of the Dallas Mavericks.
—Mac Engel
may 20, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 20 May 2026
While both sides are poised to argue the intent and culpability of the May 2 shooting at future court dates, what isn’t up for debate is what happened next.
—Mark Morales, CNN Money, 14 May 2026
Multiple Democrats have come out in favor of ousting her, including two who called on her to resign shortly after the Ethics panel came back with its finding of her culpability.
—Jared Gans, The Hill, 21 Apr. 2026
That theory expanded into what became a third-party-culpability defense in the murder trials.
—Flint McColgan, Boston Herald, 16 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for culpability
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Mac Engel
may 20, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 20 May 2026
While both sides are poised to argue the intent and culpability of the May 2 shooting at future court dates, what isn’t up for debate is what happened next.
—Mark Morales, CNN Money, 14 May 2026
Multiple Democrats have come out in favor of ousting her, including two who called on her to resign shortly after the Ethics panel came back with its finding of her culpability.
—Jared Gans, The Hill, 21 Apr. 2026
That theory expanded into what became a third-party-culpability defense in the murder trials.
—Flint McColgan, Boston Herald, 16 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for culpability
Cite this Entry
“Culpability.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/culpability. Accessed 23 May. 2026.
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