blameworthiness

blameworthiness — noun

1. the condition of being responsible for something wrong and therefore deserving c

1.nounC1
Definition

the condition of being responsible for something wrong and therefore deserving criticism or punishment

Example

The court debated the blameworthiness of Nellie's actions throughout the trial.

collocation: blameworthiness of [someone's] actions

Jisoo accepted the blameworthiness of her mistake and apologized sincerely.

Common collocations
  • assess blameworthiness
  • determine blameworthiness
  • question the blameworthiness of
  • degree of blameworthiness
Synonyms
  • culpability

    more common in legal contexts; same level of formality

  • guilt

    can refer to the feeling as well as the fact; blameworthiness is only about the fact of being at fault

  • fault

    less formal, more common in everyday English

Antonyms
  • blamelessness

    the direct opposite — not deserving any blame

  • innocence

    freedom from guilt; a more common word than blameworthiness

Usage Note

Common in legal and philosophical writing. In everyday speech, people more often say someone 'was at fault' or 'was to blame' rather than use this abstract noun.

Common Mistakes

The blameworthiness was placed on her.
The blame was placed on her.
blameworthiness describes the quality of deserving blame, not the blame itself.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

Blameworthiness and culpability both describe the state of deserving blame, but culpability is more common in legal settings ('criminal culpability'). Guilt can refer to the objective fact of wrongdoing or to an emotional state ('a sense of guilt'); blameworthiness stays strictly about the objective fact. Fault is the everyday word — less formal and broader in scope ('Whose fault is it?'). Responsibility is the most neutral of the group: you can be responsible without being blameworthy (e.g. a project manager responsible for a team's success). In a courtroom, a lawyer might argue about 'the defendant's culpability,' while a friend might simply ask 'Was it his fault?'

culpability ↗guilt ↗fault ↗responsibility ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

  • degree of blameworthiness
  • question of blameworthiness
  • assessment of blameworthiness

Adverbs

Phrases

  • admit one's blameworthiness
  • establish the blameworthiness of

Prepositions

Etymology

Late LatinOld FrenchEnglish

Formed from the adjective blameworthy (itself from blame + worthy) with the noun-forming suffix -ness. Blame comes from Old French blasmer, which traces back to Late Latin blasphemare ('to speak evil of'). The abstract noun blameworthiness emerged in the 17th century in philosophical and legal writing.