Synonym Chooser

How is the word blamable different from other adjectives like it?

Some common synonyms of blamable are blameworthy, culpable, and guilty. While all these words mean "deserving reproach or punishment," blameworthy and blamable apply to any degree of reprehensibility.

conduct adjudged blameworthy
an accident for which no one is blamable

When could culpable be used to replace blamable?

While the synonyms culpable and blamable are close in meaning, culpable is weaker than guilty and is likely to connote malfeasance or errors of ignorance, omission, or negligence.

culpable neglect

When would guilty be a good substitute for blamable?

The words guilty and blamable are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, guilty implies responsibility for or consciousness of crime, sin, or, at the least, grave error or misdoing.

guilty of a breach of etiquette

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for blamable
Adjective
  • Related article Catch up on the Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs trial so far Combs has denied all wrongdoing and has pleaded not guilty to the charges.
    Elizabeth Wagmeister, CNN Money, 12 June 2025
  • Weinstein pleaded not guilty to all charges in his retrial; both Haley and Mann testified against him again.
    Michaela Zee, Variety, 12 June 2025
Adjective
  • 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
  • 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
Adjective
  • 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
Adjective
  • Today's extradition is a giant step forward in holding the defendant accountable for his unspeakably reprehensible and vile efforts to spread fear, chaos, and hate.
    Mandy Taheri, MSNBC Newsweek, 24 May 2025
  • Of the $15 million that the jury awarded Depp, $5 million was in punitive damages aimed to punish Heard for especially reprehensible conduct.
    Winston Cho, HollywoodReporter, 19 Apr. 2025
Adjective
  • Sadly, the reckless political extremism of mid-20th century America is also having a revival.
    Jane S. Smith, Chicago Tribune, 6 June 2025
  • The girl’s 47-year-old stepmom is charged with child endangerment and reckless endangerment by discharging a firearm from within a motor vehicle, Shelby County court records show.
    Olivia Lloyd, Charlotte Observer, 6 June 2025
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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Cite this Entry

“Blamable.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/blamable. Accessed 17 Jun. 2025.

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