Word forms: comparative guiltier, superlative guiltiest
1. adjective [usually verb-link ADJECTIVE]
If you feel guilty, you feel unhappy because you think that you have done something wrong or have failed to do something which you should have done.
I feel so guilty, leaving all this to you.
When she saw me she looked guilty.
[Also + about]
Synonyms: ashamed, sorry, rueful, sheepish More Synonyms of guilty
guiltilyadverb [ADVERB with verb]
He glanced guiltily over his shoulder.
2. adjective [ADJECTIVE noun]
Guilty is used of an action or fact that you feel guilty about.
Many may be keeping it a guilty secret.
I leave with a guilty sense of relief.
3. guilty conscience
4. adjective
If someone is guiltyof a crime or offence, they have committed that crime or offence.
They were found guilty of murder. [+ of]
He pleaded guilty to causing actual bodily harm.
Synonyms: culpable, responsible, convicted, to blame More Synonyms of guilty
5. adjective
If someone is guiltyof doing something wrong, they have done that thing.
He claimed Mr Brooke had been guilty of a 'gross error of judgment'. [+ of]
They will consider whether or not he has been guilty of serious professional misconduct. [+ of]
guilty in British English
(ˈɡɪltɪ)
adjectiveWord forms: guiltier or guiltiest
1.
responsible for an offence or misdeed
2. law
having committed an offence or adjudged to have done so
the accused was found guilty
3. plead guilty
4.
of, showing, or characterized by guilt
a guilty smile
guilty pleasures
Derived forms
guiltily (ˈguiltily)
adverb
guiltiness (ˈguiltiness)
noun
guilty in American English
(ˈgɪlti)
adjectiveWord forms: ˈguiltier or ˈguiltiest
1.
having guilt; deserving blame or punishment; culpable
2.
having one's guilt proved; legally judged an offender
3.
showing or conscious of guilt
a guilty look
4.
of or involving guilt or a sense of guilt
a guilty conscience
Derived forms
guiltily (ˈguiltily)
adverb
guiltiness (ˈguiltiness)
noun
Word origin
ME gilti < OE gyltig
Examples of 'guilty' in a sentence
guilty
The don was arrested and found not guilty of murder.
Times, Sunday Times (2017)
It makes you feel guilty and ashamed.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
We see the logic behind withholding the names of very young offenders guilty of lesser crimes.
The Sun (2016)
But it would have felt slightly like a guilty pleasure clapping the other fella.
The Sun (2016)
It makes me feel really guilty.
The Sun (2016)
Yesterday he was jailed for a minimum 25 years after a jury found him guilty of murder.
The Sun (2016)
I instantly felt guilty for thinking of myself.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
A not guilty plea was heard.
The Sun (2016)
You have no need to feel guilty.
The Sun (2015)
Not all those accused of a crime are guilty.
Times, Sunday Times (2014)
They will watch harbouring their guilty secret.
Times, Sunday Times (2007)
Since they feel guilty anyway they might as well do something to feel guilty about.
Vera Peiffer POSITIVE THINKING: Everything you have always known about positive thinking but wereafraid to put into practice (2001)
Yesterday the judge took into account his early guilty plea.
Times, Sunday Times (2010)
The government is guilty of muddled thinking.
Times, Sunday Times (2008)
He was found not guilty of murder by reason of insanity.
The Sun (2008)
We feel guilty so we try to make it up.
Christianity Today (2000)
All were guilty of capital offences according to one side or the other.
Hugh Bicheno REBELS AND REDCOATS: The American Revolutionary War (2003)
He pleaded guilty to the crime and was given nine life sentences.
Times, Sunday Times (2008)
They are hidden away like a guilty secret.
The Sun (2016)
He has clearly been found guilty of something he did to her.
The Sun (2015)
She feels guilty and thinks it should have been her as she was driving.
The Sun (2009)
All three defendants had pleaded not guilty to murder.
Times, Sunday Times (2013)
They do not say he is guilty but feel questions must be answered.
Times, Sunday Times (2010)
All of which serves to prove that photography is a guilty pleasure with an intrinsically ropey relationship to trust.
Times, Sunday Times (2010)
We will use this to help ensure there is a day of reckoning for anyone guilty of any crimes.
Times, Sunday Times (2012)
In court 88% of those found guilty of motoring offences are men.
Times, Sunday Times (2006)
When you are guilty of an error, all you can do is put it out of your mind and forget it.
The Sun (2013)
The previous day he said that he considered himself'morally guilty' but it was up to the court to decide if he was legally guilty.
Times, Sunday Times (2015)
In other languages
guilty
British English: guilty /ˈɡɪltɪ/ ADJECTIVE
If you feel guilty, you feel unhappy because you have done something bad or have failed to do something which you should have done.
I feel so guilty, leaving all this work to you.
American English: guilty
Arabic: مُذْنِب
Brazilian Portuguese: culpado
Chinese: 犯罪的
Croatian: kriv
Czech: vinen
Danish: skyldig
Dutch: schuldig
European Spanish: culpable
Finnish: syyllinen
French: coupable
German: schuldig
Greek: ένοχος
Italian: colpevole
Japanese: 有罪の
Korean: 유죄의
Norwegian: skyldig
Polish: winny
European Portuguese: culpado
Romanian: vinovat
Russian: виновный
Latin American Spanish: culpable
Swedish: skyldig
Thai: รู้สึกผิด
Turkish: suçlu
Ukrainian: винний
Vietnamese: có tội
All related terms of 'guilty'
guilty party
the person or people responsible for an offence or misdeed
guilty secret
A secret is a fact that is known by only a small number of people, and is not told to anyone else.
plead guilty
(of a person charged with an offence ) to admit responsibility ; confess
guilty pleasure
If something gives you pleasure , you get a feeling of happiness, satisfaction , or enjoyment from it.
guilty verdict
In a court of law, the verdict is the decision that is given by the jury or judge at the end of a trial .
guilty conscience
Your conscience is the part of your mind that tells you whether what you are doing is right or wrong. If you have a guilty conscience , you feel guilty about something because you know it was wrong. If you have a clear conscience , you do not feel guilty because you know you have done nothing wrong.