Standard Lemma guide

guilty

adj · noun · 9 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • /ˈɡɪl.ti/
  • US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • rhymes with -ɪlti
  • CMU ARPABET: G IH1 L T IY0 Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

adj

Meaning 1

Responsible for a dishonest act.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Examples

  • He was guilty of cheating at cards.
  • I still feel guilty about having forgotten his bday.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: culpable, nocent

Antonyms: innocent, not guilty, blameless, clean, clean-handed, clean as a hound's tooth, clean as a whistle, clear, dovelike, guiltless, innocent as the babe unborn, innocent as the child unborn, irreprehensible, nonblameworthy, offenseless, pure, righteous, sackless, sinless, unblameable, unblameworthy, uncalculating, unguilty

2

adj

Meaning 2

Judged to have committed a crime.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Topics: law

Examples

  • The guilty man was led away.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

adj

Meaning 3

Having a sense of guilt.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Examples

  • Do you have a guilty conscience?

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

4

adj

Meaning 4

Blameworthy.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Examples

  • I have a guilty secret.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: censurable, culpable, blameless, praiseworthy

Antonyms: none provided

5

noun

Meaning 5

A plea by a defendant who does not contest a charge.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Topics: law

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

6

noun

Meaning 6

A verdict of a judge or jury on a defendant judged to have committed a crime.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Topics: law

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

7

noun

Meaning 7

One who is declared guilty of a crime.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

8

adjective

Meaning 8

responsible for or chargeable with a reprehensible act

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • guilty of murder
  • the guilty person
  • secret guilty deeds

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: innocent

9

adjective satellite

Meaning 9

showing a sense of guilt- Eric Linklater

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • a guilty look
  • the hangdog and shamefaced air of the retreating enemy

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: hangdog, shamefaced, shamed

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

From Middle English gilty, gulty, from Old English gyltiġ (“offending, guilty”); equivalent to guilt + -y.

Across languages

Translations

144 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Aghwan: 𐔲𐔴𐔾𐔿𐔰 (geln'a) — responsible for a dishonest act
  • Amharic: ጥፋተኛ (ṭəfatäña) — responsible for a dishonest act
  • Arabic: مُذْنِب (muḏnib) — responsible for a dishonest act
  • Arabic: مُذْنِبَة (muḏniba) — responsible for a dishonest act
  • Armenian: մեղավոր (meġavor) — responsible for a dishonest act
  • Belarusian: вінава́ты (vinaváty) — responsible for a dishonest act
  • Belarusian: ві́нны (vínny) — responsible for a dishonest act
  • Breton: kablus — responsible for a dishonest act
  • Bulgarian: вино́вен (vinóven) — responsible for a dishonest act
  • Catalan: culpable — responsible for a dishonest act
  • Chinese Mandarin: 有罪 (yǒuzuì) — responsible for a dishonest act
  • Czech: vinen — responsible for a dishonest act
  • Czech: vinný — responsible for a dishonest act
  • Danish: skyldig — responsible for a dishonest act
  • Dutch: schuldig — responsible for a dishonest act
  • Esperanto: kulpa — responsible for a dishonest act
  • Finnish: syyllinen — responsible for a dishonest act
  • French: coupable — responsible for a dishonest act
  • German: schuldig — responsible for a dishonest act
  • Greek: ένοχος (énochos) — responsible for a dishonest act
  • Ancient Greek: ἔνοχος (énokhos) — responsible for a dishonest act
  • Hebrew: אָשֵׁם (ashém) — responsible for a dishonest act
  • Hindi: दोषी (doṣī) — responsible for a dishonest act
  • Hungarian: bűnös — responsible for a dishonest act
  • Icelandic: sekur — responsible for a dishonest act
  • Irish: ciontach — responsible for a dishonest act
  • Italian: colpevole — responsible for a dishonest act
  • Japanese: 有罪の (yūzai no) — responsible for a dishonest act
  • Kalmyk: бурута (buruta) — responsible for a dishonest act
  • Korean: 유죄의 (yujoe'ui) — responsible for a dishonest act
  • Latin: sons — responsible for a dishonest act
  • Latin: nocens — responsible for a dishonest act
  • Latin: reus — responsible for a dishonest act
  • Latin: culpabilis — responsible for a dishonest act
  • Latvian: vainīgs — responsible for a dishonest act
  • Luxembourgish: schëlleg — responsible for a dishonest act
  • Macedonian: виновен (vinoven) — responsible for a dishonest act
  • Malayalam: കുറ്റക്കാരനായ (kuṟṟakkāranāya) — responsible for a dishonest act
  • Maltese: ħati — responsible for a dishonest act
  • Māori: whaihara — responsible for a dishonest act
  • Norwegian Bokmål: skyldig — responsible for a dishonest act
  • Norwegian Nynorsk: skyldig — responsible for a dishonest act
  • Norwegian Nynorsk: skuldig — responsible for a dishonest act
  • Old English: sċyldiġ — responsible for a dishonest act
  • Persian: گناهکار (gonâhkâr) — responsible for a dishonest act
  • Polish: winny — responsible for a dishonest act
  • Polish: winien — responsible for a dishonest act
  • Polish: winna — responsible for a dishonest act
  • Portuguese: culpado — responsible for a dishonest act
  • Romani: dosh — responsible for a dishonest act
  • Romanian: vinovat — responsible for a dishonest act
  • Russian: вино́вный (vinóvnyj) — responsible for a dishonest act
  • Russian: винова́тый (vinovátyj) — responsible for a dishonest act
  • Sanskrit: ऋण (ṛṇa) — responsible for a dishonest act
  • Scottish Gaelic: ciontach — responsible for a dishonest act
  • Serbo-Croatian: крив — responsible for a dishonest act
  • Serbo-Croatian: kriv — responsible for a dishonest act
  • Sicilian: curpàvili — responsible for a dishonest act
  • Slovak: vínny — responsible for a dishonest act
  • Slovene: kriv — responsible for a dishonest act
  • Spanish: culpable — responsible for a dishonest act
  • Spanish: nocente — responsible for a dishonest act
  • Swedish: skyldig — responsible for a dishonest act
  • Turkish: suçlu — responsible for a dishonest act
  • Ukrainian: винува́тий (vynuvátyj) — responsible for a dishonest act
  • Ukrainian: ви́нний (výnnyj) — responsible for a dishonest act
  • Urdu: مجرم (mujrim) — responsible for a dishonest act
  • Vietnamese: có tội — responsible for a dishonest act
  • Vietnamese: phạm tội — responsible for a dishonest act
  • Vietnamese: tội lỗi — responsible for a dishonest act
  • Walloon: coupåbe — responsible for a dishonest act
  • Welsh: euog — responsible for a dishonest act
  • Yiddish: שולדיק (shuldik) — responsible for a dishonest act
  • Arabic: مُذْنِب (muḏnib) — judged to have committed a crime
  • Armenian: մեղավոր (meġavor) — judged to have committed a crime
  • Armenian: հանցավոր (hancʻavor) — judged to have committed a crime
  • Bulgarian: вино́вен (vinóven) — judged to have committed a crime
  • Catalan: culpable — judged to have committed a crime
  • Chinese Mandarin: 有罪 (yǒuzuì) — judged to have committed a crime
  • Danish: skyldig — judged to have committed a crime
  • Dutch: schuldig — judged to have committed a crime
  • Finnish: syyllinen — judged to have committed a crime
  • French: coupable — judged to have committed a crime
  • German: schuldig — judged to have committed a crime
  • German: fehlbar — judged to have committed a crime
  • Greek: ένοχος (énochos) — judged to have committed a crime
  • Ancient Greek: ἔνοχος (énokhos) — judged to have committed a crime
  • Hebrew: אָשֵׁם (ashém) — judged to have committed a crime
  • Hungarian: bűnös — judged to have committed a crime
  • Irish: ciontach — judged to have committed a crime
  • Italian: colpevole — judged to have committed a crime
  • Khmer: មានទោស (miən tooh) — judged to have committed a crime
  • Latin: sons — judged to have committed a crime
  • Latin: nocens — judged to have committed a crime
  • Latvian: vainīgs — judged to have committed a crime
  • Latvian: vaininieks — judged to have committed a crime
  • Latvian: vaininiece — judged to have committed a crime
  • Malay: bersalah — judged to have committed a crime
  • Malayalam: കുറ്റക്കാരനായ (kuṟṟakkāranāya) — judged to have committed a crime
  • Māori: whaihara — judged to have committed a crime
  • Māori: mau tangetange — judged to have committed a crime
  • Old English: sċyldiġ — judged to have committed a crime
  • Persian: گناهکار (gonâhkâr) — judged to have committed a crime
  • Polish: winny — judged to have committed a crime
  • Polish: oskarżony — judged to have committed a crime
  • Portuguese: culpado — judged to have committed a crime
  • Romanian: vinovat — judged to have committed a crime
  • Russian: вино́вный (vinóvnyj) — judged to have committed a crime
  • Sicilian: ncurpatu — judged to have committed a crime
  • Spanish: culpable — judged to have committed a crime
  • Swedish: skyldig — judged to have committed a crime
  • Thai: มีความผิด — judged to have committed a crime
  • Turkish: suçlu — judged to have committed a crime
  • Urdu: مجرم (mujrim) — judged to have committed a crime
  • Vietnamese: có tội — judged to have committed a crime
  • Vietnamese: phạm tội — judged to have committed a crime
  • Vietnamese: tội lỗi — judged to have committed a crime
  • Walloon: coupåbe — judged to have committed a crime
  • Bulgarian: гузен (guzen) — having a sense of guilt
  • Catalan: culpable — having a sense of guilt
  • Finnish: syyllinen — having a sense of guilt
  • German: schuldbewusst — having a sense of guilt
  • Hebrew: אָשֵׁם (ashém) — having a sense of guilt
  • Irish: ciontach — having a sense of guilt
  • Japanese: 有罪の (yūzai no) — having a sense of guilt
  • Japanese: 疚しい (yamashii) — having a sense of guilt
  • Latvian: vainīgs — having a sense of guilt
  • Malayalam: കുറ്റബോധമുള്ള (kuṟṟabōdhamuḷḷa) — having a sense of guilt
  • Portuguese: culpado — having a sense of guilt
  • Russian: винова́тый (vinovátyj) — having a sense of guilt
  • Sicilian: ncurpàvili — having a sense of guilt
  • Sicilian: affruntatu — having a sense of guilt
  • Swedish: skamsen — having a sense of guilt
  • Catalan: reprovable — blameworthy
  • Finnish: likainen — blameworthy
  • Finnish: ruma — blameworthy
  • German: schuldig — blameworthy
  • German: tadelnswert — blameworthy
  • German: tadelnswürdig — blameworthy
  • Hebrew: חַיָּב (khayav) — blameworthy
  • Latvian: vainīgs — blameworthy
  • Latvian: atbildīgs — blameworthy
  • Sicilian: sbrigugnatu — blameworthy
  • Sicilian: jastimijatu — blameworthy
Real reading context

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