adj. Deserving of blame or censure; blameworthy: "Rajiv's getting remarried without the divorce papers meant that he was equally culpable and that no one would be taking anyone to court" (Samrat Upadhyay). [Middle English coupable, from Old French, from Latin culpābilis, from culpāre, to blame, from culpa, fault.] cul′pa·bili·ty n. culpa·bly adv. |
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition copyright ©2022 by HarperCollins Publishers. All rights reserved.