guilty

The word “guilty” means having committed a wrongdoing or crime. In plain terms, either legally responsible for a crime, or emotionally feeling bad about something you did.

“Guilty” is pronounced GIHL-tee (/ˈɡɪl.ti/ in IPA).

Here is “guilty” used in a sentence: “The jury found him guilty on all counts.”

Words with a similar meaning to “guilty” include shildy, at fault, blameworthy, censurable, culpable and nocent.

The opposite of “guilty” — its antonyms — are innocent and praiseworthy.

“Guilty” is an adjective.

The word “guilty” comes from Old English. From Old English gyltiġ ("offending, guilty"), from guilt plus the adjective suffix "-y.".

“Guilty” is a fairly common word in modern English, usually learned at around the B1 level.

"Guilt" is the noun — the state of having done wrong, or the uneasy feeling that follows it. "Guilty" is the adjective describing someone in that state: a guilty person carries guilt. So you feel guilt, but you are guilty. One names the thing; the other describes who has it.

The word carries two senses. Being guilty is factual — you actually committed the wrongdoing or crime, whether or not you feel bad. Feeling guilty is emotional — the pang of remorse or self-blame, which you can feel even when you have done nothing wrong. Courts judge the first, not the second.

In the legal sense, the opposite is "innocent" or "not guilty" — cleared of the wrongdoing. For the emotional sense of feeling guilty, opposites include "unashamed," "untroubled," or "clear-conscienced." Which applies depends on whether you mean having committed the act or feeling bad about it.