as in to criticize
to express one's unfavorable opinion of the worth or quality of
more concerned with pleasing audiences, the playwright has always claimed to be indifferent to whether critics praise his comedies or blame them without mercy
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in guilt
responsibility for wrongdoing or failure
willingly accepted the blame for not seeing that the kitchen was properly cleaned
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in responsibility
the state of being held as the cause of something that needs to be set right
blame for the school's poor performance in standardized tests was attributed to several factors
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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.
Recent Examples of blame
Theresa Clift,
Sacbee.com,
29 June 2026
When a project falls behind schedule, the electrical team points at the cooling contractors, and the cooling technicians blame the structural engineers.
—
Mrigakshi Dixit,
Interesting Engineering,
29 June 2026
Jasmine Baehr , Jackson Thompson,
FOXNews.com,
2 July 2026
Automation that was meant to liberate becomes a maze of fragile scripts and blame-shifting alerts.
—
Expert Panel®,
Forbes.com,
1 July 2026
See All Example Sentences for blame
Verb
In an email to The Sacramento Bee, Tod Lipka, Step Up’s president and CEO, blamed the fraud suit on Step Up’s partner, Shangri-La Industries, which had planned to build the homeless housing.
—
Theresa Clift,
Sacbee.com,
29 June 2026
When a project falls behind schedule, the electrical team points at the cooling contractors, and the cooling technicians blame the structural engineers.
—
Mrigakshi Dixit,
Interesting Engineering,
29 June 2026
Noun
This indictment reflects the Administration’s effort to shift blame for their own failures.
—
Jasmine Baehr , Jackson Thompson,
FOXNews.com,
2 July 2026
Automation that was meant to liberate becomes a maze of fragile scripts and blame-shifting alerts.
—
Expert Panel®,
Forbes.com,
1 July 2026
See All Example Sentences for blame
Recent Examples of Synonyms for blame
Verb
-
The program posed a massive political problem for Mamdani, who’s been criticized by both his allies and opponents for his stance.
-
While state studies have criticized the state’s education governance model, voters have rejected at least four attempts dating back to 1928 to reform the position.
Noun
-
There are other options, but regardless of what’s on the table for the future, burnout deserves to be taken seriously rather than explained away out of pride, guilt, or habit.
-
Crafted with better-for-you ingredients, Javvy's Instant Protein Coffee blend and viral Coffee Concentrate deliver guilt-free indulgence, offering craveable flavors without compromise.
Noun
-
In many cases, cars add stress, expense, and responsibility without many upsides for college students, especially those attending urban colleges and universities with readily accessible public transit.
-
Chuck Norris Throughout his life, Chuck Norris was associated with messages celebrating patriotism, faith and civic responsibility.
Verb
-
If these rotations fail to get results, will Spo take the blame or will fans forget his history and fault the player who is underperforming?
-
The lawsuit also faulted organizers for not ensuring attendees did not have weapons, tear gas or bear spray, for allowing attendees to enter the festival from multiple unmonitored points and for not imposing security measures after problems at previous events.
Verb
-
Eight of the primary winners who condemned the Gaza conflict were backed by American Priorities, a new pro-Palestinian super PAC supporting candidates who have been critical of Israel’s military actions.
-
Lot is often described in the Qurʾān, and in subsequent interpretive traditions, in the role of condemning the men of Sodom for lusting after men rather than women.
Verb
-
Activists and faith leaders denounced the conditions at the office during a press conference the previous day, calling on officials to visit the facility and said there had been bad conditions at the facility for weeks.
-
Prosecutors call Hearn’s actions a deliberate, violent act causing more than $1,000 in damage, and his attorneys denounce the case as an alarming misuse of government power.
Cite this Entry
“Blame.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/blame. Accessed 7 Jul. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
