adj

culpable

KUHL-puh-buhl

Culpable (adj) means deserving blame for wrongdoing. Example: “The report found the manager culpable for ignoring the safety warnings.”

adj

Deserving blame for wrongdoing.

"The report found the manager culpable for ignoring the safety warnings."

How to use culpable

Learner’s notes

In plain EnglishDeserving blame; guilty of something wrong.

Easily confused with

capable →

Common pairings

culpable negligence found culpable

more culpable comparative, most culpable superlative

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The report found the manager _____ for ignoring the safety warnings.

From Old French culpable, from Latin culpabilis ("blameworthy"), from culpa ("fault").

Origin: Latin

able fable cable table viable liable stable tenable parable affable amiable notable

What does “culpable” mean?

The word “culpable” means deserving blame for wrongdoing. In plain terms, deserving blame; guilty of something wrong.

How do you pronounce “culpable”?

“Culpable” is pronounced KUHL-puh-buhl (/ˈkʌlpəbəl/ in IPA).

How do you use “culpable” in a sentence?

Here is “culpable” used in a sentence: “The report found the manager culpable for ignoring the safety warnings.”

What part of speech is “culpable”?

“Culpable” is an adjective.

Where does the word “culpable” come from?

The word “culpable” comes from Latin. From Old French culpable, from Latin culpabilis ("blameworthy"), from culpa ("fault").