Guilt - Definition, Meaning & Synonyms

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SKIP TO CONTENT guilt /gɪlt/ /gɪlt/ IPA guide

Other forms: guilts

You experience guilt when you feel bad about doing something wrong or committing some offense. Guilt is also the state of having committed the offense — it's the opposite of "innocence."

The noun guilt stems from the Old English word gylt, meaning "crime, sin, fault, or fine." Feelings of guilt are typical after you've done something you shouldn't have, like cheating on your spelling test or stealing from your little brother's piggy bank. We often say that our conscience is the source of this feeling. If you're the prosecuting attorney in a criminal trial, your job is to prove the guilt of the defendant, that is, to prove that they committed the crime you're accusing them of.

Definitions of guilt

noun the state of having committed an offense synonyms: guiltiness see moresee less antonyms: innocence a state or condition of being innocent of a specific crime or offense types: show 6 types... hide 6 types... blameworthiness, culpability, culpableness a state of guilt bloodguilt the state of being guilty of bloodshed and murder complicity guilt as an accomplice in a crime or offense criminalism, criminality, criminalness the state of being a criminal guilt by association the attribution of guilt (without proof) to individuals because the people they associate with are guilty impeachability, indictability the state of being liable to impeachment type of: condition, status a state at a particular time
noun remorse caused by feeling responsible for some offense synonyms: guilt feelings, guilt trip, guilty conscience see moresee less types: survivor guilt a deep feeling of guilt often experienced by those who have survived some catastrophe that took the lives of many others; derives in part from a feeling that they did not do enough to save the others who perished and in part from feelings of being unworthy relative to those who died type of: compunction, remorse, self-reproach a feeling of deep regret (usually for some misdeed)

Pronunciation US /gɪlt/ UK /gɪlt/ Cite this entry Style: MLA

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Copy citation DISCLAIMER: These example sentences appear in various news sources and books to reflect the usage of the word ‘guilt'. Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Vocabulary.com or its editors. Send us feedback Word Family

Vocabulary lists containing guilt

Beowulf vocabulary

Vocabulary from "Beowulf" (translated by by Gummere).

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Edge: Level C, Volume 1, Unit 1, Cluster 1. Here are links to the other clusters within Unit 1: "The Moustache" and "Who We Really Are", "Two Kinds" and "Novel Musician", "Skins" and "Nicole"

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