mea culpa

7 synonyms for mea culpa, grouped by meaning and by how common each one is.

Noun — An open admission that you were at fault, especially one made publicly.

Synonyms

Less common

Still standard English, but they carry more weight.

apology confession

Rare, literary or technical

Precise, but they will stand out — check the sense before using one.

admission of guilt acknowledgement of fault my fault my mistake my bad

Synonyms by Meaning

1. noun

An open admission that you were at fault, especially one made publicly.

“The chief executive's letter to shareholders was a lengthy mea culpa.”

apology admission of guilt confession acknowledgement of fault

2. interjection

Said to accept blame for something, often lightly.

“Mea culpa, I booked the room for the wrong day.”

my fault my mistake my bad

How to use mea culpa

The word patterns that sound natural to a native speaker.

issue a mea culpa public mea culpa full mea culpa

Formal or literary, and common in journalism and politics. Used ironically in casual speech for small mistakes.

Etymology

From Latin mea culpa 'through my own fault', from the Confiteor prayer of the Roman rite.

Full origin of mea culpa →

Frequently asked questions

What does mea culpa literally mean?

It is Latin for "through my fault" and comes from the Confiteor, a prayer of confession in the Latin Mass in which the speaker admits wrongdoing.

What is the difference between a mea culpa and an apology?

An apology expresses regret to someone; a mea culpa specifically accepts the blame. A statement can apologise for an outcome without ever admitting fault, which is why a genuine mea culpa carries more weight.

What is the plural of mea culpa?

In English it is mea culpas. The Latin plural is not used.

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apology confession my bad

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