noun
guilt trip
GILT trip
Guilt trip (noun) means a deliberate attempt to make someone feel bad about themselves so that they will do what you want. Example: “Every time I mention moving abroad, my mother lays on the guilt trip.”
noun
1
informal A deliberate attempt to make someone feel bad about themselves so that they will do what you want.
"Every time I mention moving abroad, my mother lays on the guilt trip."
"He booked the visit purely to avoid another guilt trip."
verb
1
informal To make someone feel guilty in order to pressure them into acting a certain way.
"Don't let them guilt trip you into working the weekend."
"She was guilt-tripped into donating twice."
How to use guilt trip
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishMaking someone feel bad so they will give in.
When to use it
Informal but widely used, including in journalism and psychology writing.
Easily confused with
guilt-tripping
gaslighting →
Common pairings
lay a guilt trip on
send someone on a guilt trip
guilt-trip someone into
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Every time I mention moving abroad, my mother lays on the _____.
Etymology
From guilt + trip. First use appears c. 1972 in the novel Any Minute I Can Split by Judith Rossner.
Synonyms
View more →Related words
Frequently asked questions
Is a guilt trip a form of manipulation?
Yes, when it is aimed at someone else. It works by making a person feel responsible for the speaker's unhappiness so that agreeing feels like the only decent option. It is generally regarded as unhealthy in close relationships.
How do you spell it as a verb?
Both guilt trip and guilt-trip are accepted. The hyphen is more usual in verb forms, especially guilt-tripped and guilt-tripping.
What is the difference between a guilt trip and shaming?
Shaming attacks who a person is; a guilt trip targets what they did or failed to do. A guilt trip also usually has a request behind it, whereas shaming may simply be punishment.
What is the meaning of guilt trip?
"guilt trip" (noun) means a deliberate attempt to make someone feel bad about themselves so that they will do what you want.
