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View synonyms for

guilty

[gil-tee]

adjective

guiltier, guiltiest 
  1. having committed an offense, crime, violation, or wrong, especially against moral or penal law; justly subject to a certain accusation or penalty; culpable.

    The jury found her guilty of murder.

  2. characterized by, connected with, or involving guilt.

    guilty intent.

    Synonyms: , , , ,
  3. having or showing a sense of guilt, whether real or imagined.

    a guilty conscience.



guilty

/ ˈɡɪɪ /

adjective

  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. law (of a person charged with an offence) to admit responsibility; confess

  4. of, showing, or characterized by guilt

    a guilty smile

    guilty pleasures

“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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Other Word Forms

  • guiltily adverb
  • guiltiness noun
  • overguilty adjective
  • quasi-guiltily adverb
  • quasi-guilty adjective
  • ˈܾپԱ noun
  • ˈܾپ adverb
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Word History and Origins

Origin of guilty1

First recorded before 1000; Middle English; Old English gyltig; equivalent to guilt + -y 1
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Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

In the heat of the moment, it may be difficult for a guard to judge the difference - and if they get it wrong, they could be guilty of a crime themselves.

From

He told the BBC he had pleaded guilty because he believed the sooner the trial was over the sooner he could be exchanged back to Russia.

From

Juries do a fairly good job of deciding certain questions of fact — is somebody guilty or not? — but they are dominated by the more educated people, the more advantaged.

From

"Historically in Britain, we have a history that you are innocent until proven guilty but when an algorithm, a camera and a facial recognition system gets involved, you are guilty."

From

All four defendants entered not guilty pleas Thursday and are being held on $100,000 bail.

From

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When To Use

does guilty mean?

If you’re guilty, it means you were responsible for doing something wrong, especially a crime. If you’re found guilty, it means a jury has officially decided that you committed a crime. If you feel guilty, it means you feel bad about something you shouldn’t have done or should have done but didn’t.In a legal context, guilty is the opposite of innocent (not guilty). It is often used in an official sense, but not always.Example: Once when I was a kid I shoplifted a stick of gum from the store and felt so guilty about it that I was crying by the time I got home.

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guilt tripguilty pleasure