culpability
/,kʌlpə'biliti/ Cách viết khác : (culpableness) /'kʌlpəblnis/
Học thuậtThân thiện
Definition
- Noun:
- The state of being responsible for a fault or wrong; blameworthiness: "Culpability" refers to the condition of being deserving of blame or censure for one's actions or omissions.
- Legal or moral responsibility for wrongdoing: It often implies a degree of fault that can be assigned, particularly in legal or ethical contexts.
Usage and Examples
General Usage:
- The investigation aimed to determine the culpability of each party involved in the accident.
- He accepted full culpability for the error in the report.
Legal Context:
- The court must establish the defendant's culpability before passing a sentence.
- Evidence of negligence increased the company's culpability in the lawsuit.
Advanced Usage
"Moral culpability": Responsibility based on ethical or philosophical standards of right and wrong, not necessarily legal ones.
- The philosopher debated the moral culpability of someone acting under coercion.
"Degree of culpability": Refers to the level or extent of blameworthiness, which can vary (e.g., direct vs. indirect involvement).
- The law recognizes different degrees of culpability, from intentional acts to negligence.
Variants and Related Words
Culpable (adj): Deserving blame.
- The judge found the driver culpable for the collision.
Culpably (adv): In a blameworthy manner.
- He acted culpably by ignoring the safety protocols.
Synonyms
- Blameworthiness: The quality of being deserving blame.
- Guilt: The fact of having committed a specified or implied offense.
- Liability: Legal responsibility for something, especially costs or damages.
- Accountability: The fact or condition of being accountable; responsibility.
Antonyms
- Innocence: The state of being not guilty of a crime or offense.
- Blamelessness: The quality of being free from guilt; innocence.
Related Phrases and Concepts
"Admit culpability": To formally acknowledge one's responsibility or blame.
- The CEO publicly admitted culpability for the data breach.
"Assign culpability": To officially attribute blame or responsibility to someone.
- The committee's task was to assign culpability for the project's failure.
"Mitigating culpability": Factors that may reduce the degree of blame assigned.
- His age and lack of prior record were considered as factors mitigating his culpability.
Noun
- a state of guilt