Word
guilt
US/ˈɡɪɫt/
UK/ɡˈɪlt/
Definitions
01feeling of regret
B1 · Intermediate Uncountable noun
n. the unhappy feeling you get when you think you have done something wrong or hurt someone.
n. the internal emotional state of remorse or self-reproach resulting from a perceived moral or social transgression.
“He felt a deep sense of guilt for forgetting his mother's birthday.”
“The survivor was plagued by a persistent sense of guilt, questioning why he had escaped the accident while others had not.”
Antonyms
02legal responsibility
B2 · Upper Intermediate Uncountable noun Law
n. the fact of having broken a law or committed a crime.
n. the state of being legally responsible for a specific offence, either through a court's verdict or a confession.
日本語:有罪※
“The jury had to decide on the defendant's guilt or innocence.”
“The prosecution struggled to establish the defendant's guilt beyond a reasonable doubt, as the physical evidence remained largely circumstantial.”
Synonyms
Antonyms
03to make someone feel bad
B2 · Upper Intermediate Informal
v. to make someone feel guilty so that they will do what you want.
v. to induce a sense of remorse in another person, typically as a manipulative tactic to influence their actions.
“Don't let her guilt you into going to the party if you are tired.”
“He tried to guilt his brother into lending him the money by reminding him of all the favours he had done in the past.”
Usage
Often used with 'into' followed by a gerund.
Synonyms
Collocations
Common phrases and expressions where native English speakers use the word “guilt” in context.
Verb
01. admit his guilt
“The defendant finally decided to admit his guilt after the DNA evidence was presented.”
verb + possessive + noun
02. assuage her guilt
“She tried to assuage her guilt by donating a large sum of money to the local charity.”
verb + possessive + noun
03. be wracked with guilt
“He was wracked with guilt for weeks after he forgot his best friend's wedding.”
verb + prep + noun
Adjective
04. collective guilt
“The nation struggled with a sense of collective guilt regarding its colonial past.”
adj + noun
05. overwhelming guilt
“The survivor felt overwhelming guilt that he had escaped the accident while others had not.”
adj + noun
Noun
06. admission of guilt
“The settlement was reached without a formal admission of guilt from the corporation.”
noun + of + noun
07. pangs of guilt
“I felt sudden pangs of guilt as I watched him struggle with the heavy boxes alone.”
noun + of + noun
Preposition
08. burdened by guilt
“Burdened by guilt, he eventually confessed the truth to his parents.”
prep + noun
Real-World Examples
“The silencer (which was discovered three days later in a downstairs cupboard by his relatives) played a crucial role in determining Bamber’s guilt during the trial.” “Qin finds escape from her repetitive working life, and it helps quell the guilt she feels for being her family’s second daughter born under China’s one-child policy.” Etymology
From Middle English gilt, gult, from Old English gylt (“guilt, sin, offense, crime, fault”), of obscure origin, but possibly related with Old English ġieldan (“to pay, requite, punish”), whence yield. More specifically it could be connected with Proto-West Germanic *guldijā, whence Middle Low German gülde, Middle High German gülte (“debt, fee, financial duty”). However, neither the Old English stem form nor the -t (instead of -d) fit the continental form.
From Middle English gilten, gylten, from Old English gyltan (“to commit sin, be guilty”), from gylt (“guilt, sin, offense, crime, fault”).
From Etymology 1.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Word family
NOUN
ADJECTIVE
Idioms
01. guilt trip
Domain
- Exam level
- CambridgeCambridgeCambridge English QualificationsThe exam suite from Cambridge University Press & Assessment, from A1 Movers up to C2 Proficiency. The benchmark names double as CEFR labels.C1 AdvancedIELTSIELTSInternational English Language Testing SystemThe 0–9 band test co-owned by the British Council, IDP, and Cambridge. Used for university entry, work, and migration.7.0–8.0TOEFL iBTTOEFL iBTTest of English as a Foreign Language, Internet-Based TestETS's academic English test, the standard route for US university admissions. Scored 0–120, with a 1–6 scale since 2026.1–6 scale: 5.0–5.595–113TOEICTOEICTest of English for International CommunicationETS's workplace English test, big in Japan and Korea. Listening & Reading scores 10–990 and tops out at C1.945–990
- Frequency
- Common
- Level
- C1 · AdvancedOxford
- Updated
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QR code
englishreference.com/q/guilt
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「日本語」 data: JMdict (EDRDG), CC BY-SA 4.0