GUILT

guilt, guilty conscience, guilt feelings, guilt trip

(noun) remorse caused by feeling responsible for some offense

guilt, guiltiness

(noun) the state of having committed an offense

Source: WordNet® 3.1


Etymology 1

Noun

guilt (usually uncountable, plural guilts)

Responsibility for wrongdoing.

Antonym: innocence

(law) The state of having been found guilty or admitted guilt in legal proceedings.

Antonym: innocence

The regret of having done wrong.

Synonym: remorse

Etymology 2

Verb

guilt (third-person singular simple present guilts, present participle guilting, simple past and past participle guilted)

(intransitive, obsolete) To commit offenses; act criminally.

(transitive) To cause someone to feel guilt, particularly in order to influence their behaviour.

Source: Wiktionary


Guilt, n. Etym: [OE. gilt, gult, AS. gylt, crime; probably originally signifying, the fine or mulct paid for an offence, and afterward the offense itself, and akin to AS. gieldan to pay, E. yield. See Yield, v. t.]

1. The criminality and consequent exposure to punishment resulting from willful disobedience of law, or from morally wrong action; teh state of one who has broken a moral or political law; crime; criminality; offense against right. Satan had not answer, but stood struck With guilt of his own sin. Milton.

2. Exposure to any legal penalty or forfeiture. A ship incurs guilt by the violation of a blockade. Kent.

Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition



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Word of the Day

4 April 2025

GUILLOTINE

(verb) kill by cutting the head off with a guillotine; “The French guillotined many Vietnamese while they occupied the country”


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