guiltyguilt‧y /ˈɡɪlti/ ●●● S2 W3 adjective 
I feel really guilty about forgetting her birthday again. She looked self-conscious and guilty. It was his guilty conscience that made him offer to help.RegisterIn 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.2of a crime having done something that is a crime OPP innocentguilty 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.3responsible for behaviour that is morally or socially unacceptablebe guilty of doing something Some journalists are guilty of reporting scandal in order to sell papers.4the guilty party formal the person who has done something illegal or wrong—guiltily adverbGRAMMAR: Prepositions with guilty• You feel guilty about/for/at something you have done: · She felt guilty about what had happened.· I feel guilty for not doing more to help.• Someone is guilty of a crime or doing something wrong: · They were guilty of murder.· The government is guilty of mismanaging the economy.THESAURUS– Meaning 2guilty 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.
EXAMPLES FROM OTHER DICTIONARIES
- A 23-year-old woman was found guilty of murder in the Central Court today.
- Davis was found guilty of abducting and killing Polly Klaas.
- Roberts pleaded guilty to driving without insurance.
- The guilty were each given a life sentence.
- The jury found Sewell guilty and he was sent to prison.
- He later pleaded guilty to eight perjury counts resulting from testimony in drug cases.
- I felt so guilty, do you see, yet I felt so angry with myself for feeling that way.
- Most therapists are probably guilty of at least one of these faults at some point in their career.
- Parents feel guilty, even if there is no way they could have influenced events.
- Perhaps you felt guilty about ignoring a charity collection, and so decided to punish yourself?
THESAURUS
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.
[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.
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.
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).
[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.
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.
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.
Longman Language Activatorguilty if someone is guilty of a crime, he or she is the person that did it: · The guilty were each given a life sentence.find somebody guilty (=decide in a law court that someone is guilty): · The jury found Sewell guilty and he was sent to prison.guilty of murder/rape/a crime etc: · A 23-year-old woman was found guilty of murder in the Central Court today.guilty of doing something: · Davis was found guilty of abducting and killing Polly Klaas.plead guilty (=say in a law court that you are guilty of a crime): · Roberts pleaded guilty to driving without insurance.
if someone is responsible for a crime, accident, or mistake, they did it or made it happen: · The other driver was responsible for the accident, and he should pay for the damage.responsible for: · Police believe a local gang is responsible for the recent burglaries.· Mrs Williams says that the hospital was responsible for her husband's death.
guilty of causing something bad to happen, especially because you did not do anything to prevent it - used especially in formal or legal contexts: · If people develop smoking-related diseases, are they or the tobacco companies culpable?· Lawyers are debating whether allowing a terminally ill patient to die amounts to culpable homicide (=a legal decision that someone was criminally guilty of the death).
someone who is guilty someone who has done something wrong, especially a crime: the culprit: · Some money was taken from my desk yesterday. I think I know who the culprit is.· The police did everything they could to try and track down the culprit, but he was never caught.
formal the person who is considered to be responsible for a crime or for doing something wrong, especially when two people are blaming each other: · We think we know who the guilty party is, but we need your help to find the evidence.· It's silly to imagine that one partner in a divorce is completely innocent and that the other is the sole guilty party.
to show that someone is guilty to show or seem to show that someone is involved in something bad or illegal: · She is claiming that the police are deliberately trying to implicate her.implicate somebody in something: · New evidence implicates Mr Stapleton and his wife in the blackmail attempt.· The managing director of the bank was implicated in a fraud scandal.
use this about documents, tapes, photographs, statements etc that seem to show that someone is guilty of a crime: · The killer left an incriminating trail of footprints across the lawn.· Police found incriminating letters in the suspect's home.incriminating evidence: · They tried to dispose of the incriminating evidence by burning all their blood-stained clothes.
to make someone seem guilty of a crime: · Tape recordings of alleged conversations between the two suspects are unlikely to incriminate them.· These tapes incriminate a number of well-known politicians.
to deliberately try to make someone seem guilty when they are not also fit up/stitch up British informal to deliberately make it seem that someone is guilty of a crime that they are not really guilty of: set up somebody: · He wasn't guilty of the fraud. He'd been set up by his business rivals.set somebody up: · Cahill has always protested his innocence, and insists that someone set him up.
to make someone seem guilty of a crime, especially by providing something that seems like proof: · That's not my handwriting and it's not my signature! I've been framed.· Healey agreed to defend two young men, who were being framed in a local murder case. frame for: · The accused told the court that the police tried to frame him for assault.
informal to say that someone is guilty of a crime or of doing something wrong, especially when this is not true: · The police pinned the murder on two men who were later proved to be innocent.· You're not going to pin it on me! I was a hundred miles away at the time.
to put something such as illegal drugs or stolen goods into someone's house or into their pocket, in order to make it seem that they are guilty of a crime: · The police found the stolen cameras in his flat, but he insisted they had been planted.plant something on somebody: · Someone planted the drugs on her before she left the country.
to officially prove that someone is guilty to prove that someone is guilty of a crime: · Think of all the time they've wasted trying to prove me guilty, while the real killer goes free.innocent until proven guilty (=someone cannot be considered guilty until it is officially proved that they are guilty ): · It is a basic principle of US law, that a person is innocent until proven guilty.
if a court of law finds someone guilty or convicts them, they decide that that person is guilty of a crime: · If the jury finds him guilty he will face a maximum sentence of seven years.· No one has yet been convicted of any of the terrorist attacks.find somebody guilty of something: · The two men were found guilty of the murder and jailed for life.find somebody guilty of doing something: · He was found guilty of supplying drugs.convict somebody of something: · Have you ever been convicted of a criminal offence?convict somebody of doing something: · All four men were convicted of illegally bringing drugs into the country.
to feel guilty to feel worried and unhappy because you have done something wrong or because you have upset someone: · I felt really guilty after spending all that money.· Are you feeling guilty because you didn't help her?feel guilty about: · Ed felt guilty about leaving work so early.
to feel very guilty and disappointed with yourself because you have done something wrong or behaved in an unpleasant or embarrassing way: · She felt thoroughly ashamed when she remembered how drunk she'd been.be/feel ashamed of: · I feel ashamed of what I did.be/feel ashamed to do something: · I'm ashamed to admit it, but I wasn't really sorry when he died.
especially spoken to feel very sorry because you have upset someone or done something that you should not have done: · We had a long talk about it afterwards and I know she felt bad.feel bad that: · I should have told Helen I was sorry. I feel really bad that I didn't.feel bad about: · I feel bad about what I said. Things haven't been easy for either of us.feel bad about doing something: · I feel bad about not going to Debbie's party, but I've just got too much to do.
to feel that it was your fault that something bad happened: · You mustn't blame yourself. It was an accident. There was nothing you could have done.blame yourself for: · Assistant coach Rex Hughes blamed himself for the team's poor performance.
to feel guilty about something bad that has happened even though you did not cause it, especially when you feel you could have prevented it: · I'm sorry it didn't work out. I feel responsible.feel responsible for: · For a long time afterwards I felt responsible for his death.
to feel guilty for a long time and keep thinking about something bad that you have done: · I suppose I did have a guilty conscience for a while, but not any more.have a guilty conscience about: · Why is she being so nice to everyone all of a sudden? She's obviously got a guilty conscience about something.
if something bad that you have done is on your conscience , you cannot stop feeling guilty and thinking about it: · Even if you didn't get caught, the murder would be on your conscience for the rest of your life.· In the end Martin told his wife about his affair - he just couldn't live with it on his conscience.
a guilty feeling the feeling you have when you have done something that you know is wrong: · Guilt can be a very destructive emotion.feeling of guilt: · People often have feelings of guilt after a divorce.
the guilty feeling that you have when you know that you have behaved badly and lost people's respect: · Voting through cuts in benefits to the poorest people is a matter of shame for all of us.shame about: · Too many women are taught to feel guilt or shame about sex.shame at: · As he left the house, Mungo felt a pang of shame at telling Alice a lie.almost die of shame (=be very ashamed): · The next day I remembered how drunk I'd been , and almost died of shame.bring shame on somebody: · Some girls feel that refusing their parents' choice of husband will bring shame on their family.
a feeling of being very sorry for something bad that you have done, so that you wish you had not done it: · He admitted killing the man but showed no sign of remorse.remorse for: · She was full of remorse for hurting her family.remorse at: · Many men are afflicted with guilt and remorse at leaving their wives.twinge/pang of remorse (=a small feeling of remorse): · The woman sounded so nice, McKee felt a twinge of remorse at what he had done to her family.
a set of feelings that stop you from doing something wrong or that make you feel guilty when you have done something wrong: · Her murderer was a psychopath with a total lack of conscience.twinge/pang of conscience (=a sudden feeling of guilt): · He was capable of making the most ruthless decisions with no apparent pangs of conscience.
to not feel guilty about something · I made her cry but I don't feel guilty -- she deserved it.not feel guilty about · Working mothers shouldn't feel guilty about wanting a career.· I don't understand how on earth he can go on lying like that and not feel guilty about it.
if you have a clear conscience , you feel that you have not done anything wrong, so that you do not feel guilty about anything you have done: with a clear conscience: · You can face Lionel with a clear conscience -- you've done nothing to harm him.have a clear conscience: · Let them say whatever they like. I have a clear conscience.
if you have no qualms about doing something, you have no worries or doubts about whether what you are doing is right, even though other people may think it is wrong: have no qualms about: · She had no qualms about sending her young children to boarding school.· Donald had been stealing stationery from work for years and had no qualms about it at all.
formal to not feel guilty about doing something, even though other people may think it is wrong: · I warn you. These people have no compunction whatsoever and cannot be trusted.have/feel no compunction about: · Eliot felt no compunction about living at the expense of his friends.
to stop yourself feeling guilty to try to stop yourself feeling guilty by doing something good or kind: · She felt guilty and tried to salve her conscience by inviting him out for a meal.· Don't think you can salve your consciences by giving us money. We won't forgive you that easily.
to stop yourself feeling guilty by telling someone about something bad that you have done: · She decided to clear her conscience and confess everything.· He knew he might get into trouble if he went to the police but he had to do it to clear his conscience.
when a law court decides that someone is innocent · We find the defendant not guilty, Your Honor.· Despite the large amount of evidence against him, the jury found Gibson not guilty.find sb not guilty of · The two women were found not guilty of drug-trafficking.· It took the jurors less than three hours to find Gessler not guilty of murder.
if someone is acquitted by a law court, they are officially told they are not guilty of a crime: · Few observers expect the jury to acquit Mr Hoskins.· His lawyer thought he had a good chance of being acquitted at the trial, if no further evidence was found.acquit somebody of something: · To her relief she was acquitted of all the charges laid against her.
if you are cleared of a crime, a court of law says that you are innocent, because it is impossible to legally prove that you are guilty: · After Pagones was cleared in court, he sued his accusers.clear somebody of something: · A jury cleared the company of all criminal charges in connection with the accident.· Marshall was given his job back after being cleared of accusations that he abused drugs.
innocent if someone is innocent of a crime, they did not do it - use this especially about someone that other people think is guilty: · "I didn't kill him - I'm innocent!" Davies shouted.· Bates allowed an innocent man to go to jail for his crime.innocent of: · Jett maintains that he is completely innocent of the charges against him.be presumed innocent (=legally treated as being innocent): · Under criminal law people are presumed innocent until proved guilty.
if someone is not guilty of a crime, they did not do it - use this especially when a court has officially decided that someone did not do a crime: · You don't have anything to be afraid of if you are not guilty.· The evidence will show that my client is absolutely not guilty, Your Honour.not guilty of: · She was convinced he wasn't guilty of the crime, no matter what anyone said.verdict of not guilty (=official judgement): · Within just a few minutes the jury of ranchers returned a verdict of not guilty.
not having done anything wrong, or not responsible for something bad that has happened: · None of us is completely blameless - we all knew something like this could happen.· The women had made every effort to lead blameless lives.· Last week a special prosecutor ruled that the three officials were blameless.
informal if you are in the clear , it cannot be officially proved that you have done something illegal or criminal: · If we all stick to the same story we'll be in the clear.stay/keep in the clear: · By keeping his name off all the documents, he'd managed to stay in the clear.put somebody in the clear: · The testimony of the two witnesses seemed to put Richardson in the clear.
to say publicly that you are innocent to say publicly and officially in a court of law, that you are innocent of a crime: · According to Maloney's lawyer, she will plead not guilty.plead not guilty to: · Barkin pleaded not guilty to the rape charges in municipal court Thursday.· After pleading not guilty to the charges of conspiracy, Davis was released on bail.
to say repeatedly that you are innocent, especially when other people think that you are guilty: · The men have protested their innocence for 25 years.· Schultz appeared in public again on Wednesday to protest her innocence and deny any wrong-doing.
COLLOCATIONS FROM THE ENTRY I feel really guilty about forgetting her birthday again. It was his guilty conscience that made him offer to help. 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.COLLOCATIONS FROM OTHER ENTRIES Both men were found guilty of illegally entering the country. Henderson pled guilty to burglary.
I feel really guilty about forgetting her birthday again. It was his guilty conscience that made him offer to help. 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. (=say formally in court that you are guilty)· The youth pleaded guilty to a charge of arson.
(=the knowledge that you have done something wrong)· His guilty conscience kept him awake at night.
· Does he have a guilty conscience about his role in the crime?
Both men were found guilty of illegally entering the country.· The jury found him guilty of murder.
· They had wished him dead, but that did not make them guilty of murder.
Henderson pled guilty to burglary.· The law states that you are innocent until proved guilty.
(=a secret that someone feels guilty about)· He had finally discovered Jo’s guilty secret.
· The jury returned a unanimous guilty verdict.
· The jury took only twenty minutes to return a verdict of guilty.
COLLOCATIONS FROM THE CORPUSADVERB· Whenever her family had been mentioned she looked as guilty as hell.· I was as guilty as anyone.· I am certainly as guilty as everyone else.· Mark my words, he feels as guilty as all hell for what he did, which explains the verbal abuse.· I feel just as guilty because I have been here five Sundays and not come to church on any of them.
· I felt so guilty, do you see, yet I felt so angry with myself for feeling that way.· At first I felt so guilty and apologized profusely even though I remembered nothing.· Donna looked at him again, wondering why she felt so guilty to be sitting at the table with this man.· Did she look so guilty because she thought Liz might have overheard what she'd been saying to Jimmy?· She felt so guilty for not telling him what he was in for.· Afterwards I would feel so guilty that I tried to make myself sick but actually, it never worked.
NOUN· Obviously he behaved in a highly suspicious manner today, but a guilty conscience can inspire one to do strange things.· Rob said. --- Thisis a guilty conscience.· A guilty conscience is apparent to its owner.· Capitalism, in the United States, has often had a guilty conscience.· Neil had a guilty conscience and Jessica had known it.· She owed her father nothing, not even the duty to clear his guilty conscience at the end.· Failure was an abdication of personal responsibility, a cause of a guilty conscience.
· The rest of the audience cranes its collective neck to spot the guilty party.· Say they believed they had the guilty parties.· The Justice Department could not ask for damages or seek penalties against the guilty parties.· How dared he act as though she were the guilty party?· Yet economic mismanagement at home will often be the guiltier party. % % Rrrrrrrrecession?· Some critics might favour the pragmatic solution of convicting both, to ensure that the guilty party does not escape justice.· Fines of up to 10 percent of the worldwide turnover of the guilty parties may be imposed.
· Exxon subsequently withdrew guilty pleas to four misdemeanour charges relating to the spill, thereby formally dissolving the out of court settlement.· The prosecutions that did not end until this year resulted in 14 convictions and guilty pleas.· It can withdraw its guilty pleas and go to trial.· Maryland authorities obtained a guilty plea from him to charges of securities violations, he admits.· It can let its guilty pleas stand and then take its chances in court.· The division brought charges against thirty-six Klan defendants in thirteen cases, resulting in fifteen guilty pleas.· But the verdicts showed that the jury believed Hale despite his guilty plea and his admitted lies.· The Justice Department also obtained guilty pleas in several cases.
· He denied a further 10 theft and deception offences and not guilty verdicts were recorded.· If prosecutors win guilty verdicts, they could ask for maximum prison terms.· Today the jury were ordered to enter a formal not guilty verdict.· He then sunk his head into his hand as the ensuing guilty verdicts were announced.· The second guilty verdict has merely persuaded more people that the charges were groundless.· It was also a victory for those who have concluded Simpson escaped a guilty verdict in his criminal trial.· The jury delivered the not guilty verdicts on the fourth day of the trial.· The guilty verdict and death sentence brought little relief.
PHRASES FROM THE ENTRYPHRASES FROM OTHER ENTRIES► as miserable/ugly/guilty as sin
- And they'd find the guilty party: a giveaway print of designer lipstick mars the rim.
- Fines of up to 10 percent of the worldwide turnover of the guilty parties may be imposed.
- How dared he act as though she were the guilty party?
- Say they believed they had the guilty parties.
- Some critics might favour the pragmatic solution of convicting both, to ensure that the guilty party does not escape justice.
- The Justice Department could not ask for damages or seek penalties against the guilty parties.
- The rest of the audience cranes its collective neck to spot the guilty party.
- Yet economic mismanagement at home will often be the guiltier party. % % Rrrrrrrrecession?
- I was as angry as hell.
- Lucy was shy as hell, and Jay was sure and easy.
- She washed spiders down the plughole, and felt guilty as hell about it.
- Strong, dedicated, skilful, passionate, intelligent and as angry as hell.
- The Jaguar is reported to have crashed in a distant country, mad as hell.
- These people were mad as hell.
- Whenever her family had been mentioned she looked as guilty as hell.
WORD FAMILYnounguiltguiltinessadjectiveguiltyguilt-riddenadverbguiltily
1ashamed feeling very ashamed and sad because you know that you have done something wrongguilty about/for/at I feel really guilty about forgetting her birthday again. She looked self-conscious and guilty. It was his guilty conscience that made him offer to help.RegisterIn 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.2of a crime having done something that is a crime OPP innocentguilty 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.3responsible for behaviour that is morally or socially unacceptablebe guilty of doing something Some journalists are guilty of reporting scandal in order to sell papers.4the guilty party formal the person who has done something illegal or wrong—guiltily adverbGRAMMAR: Prepositions with guilty• You feel guilty about/for/at something you have done: · She felt guilty about what had happened.· I feel guilty for not doing more to help.• Someone is guilty of a crime or doing something wrong: · They were guilty of murder.· The government is guilty of mismanaging the economy.THESAURUS– Meaning 2guilty 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.