Definition of blameworthynext

Synonym Chooser

How is the word blameworthy different from other adjectives like it?

Some common synonyms of blameworthy are blamable, culpable, and guilty. While all these words mean "deserving reproach or punishment," blameworthy and blamable apply to any degree of reprehensibility.

conduct adjudged blameworthy
an accident for which no one is blamable

When might culpable be a better fit than blameworthy?

Although the words culpable and blameworthy have much in common, culpable is weaker than guilty and is likely to connote malfeasance or errors of ignorance, omission, or negligence.

culpable neglect

When is guilty a more appropriate choice than blameworthy?

The words guilty and blameworthy are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, guilty implies responsibility for or consciousness of crime, sin, or, at the least, grave error or misdoing.

guilty of a breach of etiquette

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of blameworthy Extreme cold made the O-rings fail, but NASA’s culture was just as blameworthy and needed a retrofit more urgently than any piece of shuttle hardware. Meghan Bartels, Scientific American, 28 Jan. 2026 As the shutdown goes on, moreover, the polling on which side is more to blame seems to be gradually shifting toward Democrats as the more blameworthy side. Josh Hammer, MSNBC Newsweek, 17 Oct. 2025 His Stoic Challenge framework invites you to see a setback not as something terrible, blameworthy or unfair but instead as a test of your ingenuity and resilience. Hanna Hart, Forbes.com, 29 May 2025 But Miss Manners acknowledges that there is also the less blameworthy impulse to offer comfort — not just sympathy — when there is no real comfort to be offered. Judith Martin, The Mercury News, 11 Feb. 2025 To highlight the hazy line between blameworthy and praiseworthy failure, Edmondson routinely asks leaders to estimate the percentage of blameworthy mistakes in their organizations. Ann Kowal Smith, Forbes, 27 Nov. 2023 On the whole, Google's spam filter, though in this instance imperfect, is not morally blameworthy. Jon Brodkin, Ars Technica, 25 Aug. 2023
Recent Examples of Synonyms for blameworthy
Adjective
  • Gallego’s husband, Juan Antonio Gonzalez, 49, entered a guilty plea to one count of money laundering.
    Grethel Aguila, Miami Herald, 30 Apr. 2026
  • The jury found the the elder Franqui guilty on all counts and he was sentenced to 50 years in prison.
    Staff Report, Hartford Courant, 30 Apr. 2026
Adjective
  • Haaland bursts our bubble almost immediately by scoring in the opening five minutes, and Burnley miss a few good first-half chances, with striker Zian Flemming particularly culpable.
    Nnamdi Onyeagwara, New York Times, 23 Apr. 2026
  • According to Woolf, Kovarcik acted as Rahman’s supervisor and was found to be much more culpable for what transpired.
    Justin Muszynski, Hartford Courant, 20 Apr. 2026
Adjective
  • His poor display of unsportsmanlike conduct was reprehensible.
    Kirk Bohls, Houston Chronicle, 7 Apr. 2026
  • Prisons are filled with the faithful and the daily news reports are overflowing with reprehensible, criminal, degenerate theists.
    Letters to the Editor, The Orlando Sentinel, 5 Apr. 2026
Adjective
  • The top charge is a misdemeanor punishable by a $250 fine, up to 30 days in jail or both.
    Colin Mixson, New York Daily News, 30 Apr. 2026
  • The conspiracy charge holds a maximum sentence of life in federal prison, while the kidnapping charge is punishable by up to 20 years.
    Tess Kenny, Chicago Tribune, 29 Apr. 2026

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Blameworthy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/blameworthy. Accessed 2 May. 2026.

More from Merriam-Webster on blameworthy

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster