guilty
/ˈɡɪlti
/adjective (guiltier, guiltiest)
1Culpable of or responsible for a specified wrongdoing: he was found guilty of manslaughter Williams pleaded guilty to three separate offences...
- She subsequently pleaded guilty to and he was found guilty of possession of cannabis resin with intent to supply.
- Whether a plaintiff is guilty of contributory negligence is a question of fact.
- Having found there was a case to answer the trial continued and we found the Appellant guilty on all 5 counts.
Synonyms
culpable, to blame, blameworthy, blameable, at fault, in the wrong, responsible, answerable, accountable, liable;
censurable, reproachable, condemnable, reprehensible, erring, errant, delinquent, offending, sinful, felonious, iniquitous, criminal, convicted
archaic peccant
1.1Justly chargeable with a particular fault or error: she was guilty of a serious error of judgement...
- These three reasons show that the only fault scientists are guilty of is of neglecting their public image.
- Nor should we be guilty of the error of assuming that the problem relates only to Genesis.
- In the jittery start both sides were guilty of handling errors but Keighley had the best of the early play.
1.2Conscious of, affected by, or revealing a feeling of guilt: he felt guilty about the way he had treated her a guilty conscience...
- There is no pain like that of a guilty conscience, and bigots hate to admit they're wrong.
- History is littered with the guilty consciences of those who chose to remain silent.
- Seemingly, I would alleviate my guilty conscience by showering him with presents.
Synonyms
ashamed, guilt-ridden, conscience-stricken, remorseful, sorry, regretful, contrite, repentant, penitent, rueful, abashed, shamefaced, sheepish, hangdog;
mortified, discomfited, distressed, uncomfortable;
in sackcloth and ashes
informal with one's tail between one's legs
rare compunctious
1.3Causing a feeling of guilt: a guilty secret...
- I know she says the boyfriend she betrayed tipped off the press after she had revealed her guilty secret in her sleep.
- Where once it was society's guilty secret, now there is a concerted effort to trawl for and publicise any hint of racism.
- Homosexuality was his other guilty secret, which he kept hidden from public sight until he was in his seventies.
Phrases
not guilty
Derivatives
guiltily
/ adverb ...- I, too, am not exempt from guiltily indulging in an episode or more, despite my growing disgust with the whole thing.
- He bent guiltily and began re-tying his boots, a hurricane of fingers at work.
- Once they were relaxed about being seen in the garden - now they skulk guiltily, scuttling off at the slightest noise or movement.
guiltiness
/ noun ...- No one would have any doubts about the guiltiness of the Bulgarian.
- But his heart raced anyway, as the light shifted over the torrential waves of vehicles, because there was a feeling of guiltiness in his heart, like he was hiding.
- ‘But he deserved it,’ he told himself, trying to lessen his guiltiness.
Origin
Old English gyltig (see guilt, -y1).