guilty
[adjective]
Synonyms:
- responsible, at fault, blameworthy, culpable, reprehensible, sinful, to blame, wrong
- remorseful, ashamed, conscience-stricken, contrite, regretful, rueful, shamefaced, sheepish, sorry

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Antonyms: innocent, guiltless
Related Words: accountable, answerable, responsible, impeached, incriminated, indicted

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English Thesaurus: guilty, responsible, be to blame, culpable, negligent, ...

[TahlilGaran] English Synonym Dictionary ▲

guilt‧y S2 W3 /ˈɡɪlti/ adjective
[Word Family: noun: guilt, guiltiness; adjective: guilty, guilt-ridden; adverb: guiltily]

1. ASHAMED feeling very ashamed and sad because you know that you have done something wrong
guilty about/at
I feel really guilty at forgetting her birthday again.
She looked self-conscious and guilty.
It was his guilty conscience that made him offer to help.

REGISTER
In everyday English, people often say that they feel bad about something rather than say that they feel guilty about it:
I feel bad about leaving him on his own.

2. OF A CRIME having done something that is a crime Antonym : innocent
guilty of
The jury found her guilty of murder.
He was found not guilty of the death of PC Jones.
He pleaded guilty to two charges of theft.

3. responsible for behaviour that is morally or socially unacceptable
be guilty of doing something
Some journalists are guilty of reporting scandal in order to sell papers.

4. the guilty party formal the person who has done something illegal or wrong
—guiltily adverb

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Contemporary English ▲

guilty
adj.
I. feeling/showing guilt
VERBS feel, look
ADV. extremely, incredibly, really, terribly, very She's got a terribly guilty conscience about it.
almost I feel almost guilty that so many good things are happening to us.
a bit, faintly, a little, rather, slightly, somewhat, vaguely She was looking rather guilty when I came into the room.
oddly, ridiculously
PREP. about I feel very guilty about leaving her.

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

guilty
II. having broken the law/done sth wrong
VERBS be, plead He pleaded guilty to starting the fire.
believe sb, presume sb No one believed him guilty of this terrible crime. A person should never be presumed guilty.
deem sb, find sb, hold sb, prove sb Company directors may be deemed guilty of an offence if their company causes pollution. He was found guilty of murder.
ADV. certainly, clearly She was certainly guilty, but the police couldn't prove it.
PREP. of She was guilty of fraud.

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

guilty
adjective
1.
BAD: The jury charged the defendant guilty.
GOOD: The jury found the defendant guilty.
BAD: He was tried and judged guilty of murder.
GOOD: He was tried and found guilty of murder.

Usage Note:
find sb guilty/innocent : 'Despite the flimsy evidence, the jury found her guilty.' 'The accused was found guilty and sentenced to five years' imprisonment.'

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2.
BAD: They feel guilty of neglecting their duty.
GOOD: They feel guilty about neglecting their duty.
BAD: A lot of women feel guilty to leave their children alone or with another person.
GOOD: A lot of women feel guilty about leaving their children alone or with another person.

Usage Note:
(be) guilty of a crime or doing something wrong: 'The jury found the defendant guilty of murder.' 'He was guilty of driving without a licence or insurance.'
(feel) guilty about (doing) sth = ashamed: 'I still feel guilty about not visiting her while she was in hospital.'

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Common Errors ▲

guilty if someone is guilty of a crime or doing something wrong, they did it, and they should be punished for it:
She was found guilty of murder.
He was guilty of serious misconduct.
The two guilty men were ordered to pay damages to their victims.
responsible [not before noun] used when saying who should be blamed for something bad that has happened:
Police believe a local gang is responsible for the burglaries.
As manager, he is ultimately responsible for the failure of the project.
The other driver was responsible for the accident.
be to blame if someone is to blame for a bad situation, they are responsible:
The government is partly to blame for the crisis.
If anything goes wrong, it’s never him that is to blame.
culpable /ˈkʌlpəbəl/ formal responsible for something bad or illegal, so that you deserve to be blamed or punished:
The people who helped the terrorists are equally culpable for what happened on July 7th.
He pleaded guilty to culpable homicide (=being guilty of causing someone’s death).
negligent /ˈneɡlɪdʒənt/ [not usually before noun] responsible for something bad that has happened, because you did not take enough care, or you did not try to stop it from happening:
The court decided that the railway company was negligent.
be in the wrong to be responsible for an accident, mistake etc – used when deciding which person, group etc should be blamed:
The other driver was clearly in the wrong.
She always thinks it’s me who is in the wrong.
incriminating used about things which seem to show that someone is guilty of a crime:
incriminating evidence
incriminating documents
He didn’t want to say anything incriminating.

[TahlilGaran] English Thesaurus ▲