mea culpa

noun

mea cul·​pa ˌmā-ə-ˈku̇l-pə 

ˌmā-ä-, 

-ˈku̇l-(ˌ)pä

: a formal acknowledgment of personal fault or error

The mayor's public mea culpa didn't satisfy his critics.

Did you know?

Mea culpa means "through my fault" in Latin. Said by itself, it's an exclamation of apology or remorse that is used to mean "It was my fault" or "I apologize." Mea culpa is also a noun, however. A newspaper might issue a mea culpa for printing inaccurate information, or a politician might give a speech making mea culpas for past wrongdoings. Mea culpa is one of many English terms that come from the Latin culpa, meaning "guilt." Some other examples are culpable ("meriting condemnation or blame especially as wrong or harmful"), culprit ("one guilty of a crime or a fault"), and exculpate ("to clear from alleged fault or guilt").

Examples of mea culpa in a Sentence

The mayor's public mea culpa didn't satisfy his critics.

Recent Examples on the Web

Coming Up Carbs In a third act mea culpa that feels reminiscent of Andy and Nate’s makeup from the first film, Emily apologizes to Andy for her latest round of workplace indiscretions. —Savannah Walsh, Vanity Fair, 1 May 2026

The mea culpa was well-received by the trio and underscored Cora’s ability to smooth over even the most awkward situations. —Steve Henson, Los Angeles Times, 1 May 2026

Ahead of the album’s release, West published a lengthy mea culpa in The Wall Street Journal as a full-page ad, apologizing for his anti-Semitic remarks. —Kevin Dolak, HollywoodReporter, 14 Apr. 2026

After learning of the response, Carpenter took to X on Saturday afternoon to offer a mea culpa. —Wesley Stenzel, Entertainment Weekly, 12 Apr. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Latin, through my fault

First Known Use

1602, in the meaning defined above

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