culpable

English

Etymology

From Middle English culpable, from Old French culpable, from Latin culpabilis (“blameworthy”), from culpare (“to blame, condemn”), from culpa (“fault, crime, mistake”). Compare also culprit.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈkʌlpəbəl/

• Audio (US):

  (file)

Adjective

culpable (comparative more culpable, superlative most culpable)

1. Meriting condemnation, censure or blame, especially as something wrong, harmful or injurious; blameworthy, guilty.

   I am culpable for stealing your money.

Derived terms

• culpability
• culpable homicide
• culpable negligence
• culpableness
• culpably
• inculpable
• nonculpable
• unculpable

 

Translations

blameworthy

• Bulgarian: виновен (bg) (vinoven)
• Catalan: culpable (ca)
• Dutch: verwijtbaar (nl), schuldig (nl)
• Esperanto: kulpa
• Finnish: syyllinen (fi), moitittava (fi)
• French: coupable (fr)
• German: verdammenswert (de), schuldig (de), strafbar (de), verdammungswürdig (de)
• Latin: culpandus
• Persian: مقصر (fa) (moqasser)
• Portuguese: culpável
• Romanian: culpabil (ro)
• Russian: вино́вный (ru) (vinóvnyj), винова́тый (ru) (vinovátyj)
• Spanish: culpable (es)
• Turkish: kabahatli (tr), kusurlu (tr), suçlu (tr)

Further reading

• “culpable”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.
• “culpable”, in The Century Dictionary […], New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911, →OCLC.

Catalan

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin culpābilis, equivalent to culpar +‎ -able.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): (Central, Balearic) [kulˈpab.blə]
• IPA^(key): (Valencia) [kulˈpa.ble]

Adjective

culpable m or f (masculine and feminine plural culpables)

1. guilty; culpable

Related terms

• culpa
• culpar

Further reading

• “culpable” in Diccionari de la llengua catalana, segona edició, Institut d’Estudis Catalans.
• “culpable”, in Gran Diccionari de la Llengua Catalana, Grup Enciclopèdia Catalana, 2024
• “culpable” in Diccionari normatiu valencià, Acadèmia Valenciana de la Llengua.
• “culpable” in Diccionari català-valencià-balear, Antoni Maria Alcover and Francesc de Borja Moll, 1962.

Spanish

Etymology

From Latin culpābilis.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /kulˈpable/ [kulˈpa.β̞le]

• Audio (Bolivia):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -able
• Syllabification: cul‧pa‧ble

Adjective

culpable m or f (masculine and feminine plural culpables)

1. guilty, culpable

   hacerle sentir culpable ― to guilt trip

2. guilty (having a sense of guilt)

   una conciencia culpable ― a guilty conscience

Noun

culpable m or f by sense (plural culpables)

1. culpable person

Related terms

• culpa
• culpar

 

Further reading

• “culpable”, in Diccionario de la lengua española [Dictionary of the Spanish Language] (in Spanish), online version 23.7, Royal Spanish Academy [Spanish: Real Academia Española], 2023 November 28