Word
guilty
US/ˈɡɪɫti/
UK/ɡˈɪlti/
Definitions
01legal verdict
B1 · Intermediate Law
adj. officially decided by a court to have committed a crime.
adj. judicially determined to have committed a specific offence. Often used as a complement after the verb 'find' or 'plead'.
Español:culpable
“The jury found the man guilty of stealing the car after a long trial.”
“After deliberating for three days, the jury returned a guilty verdict on all counts of fraud and conspiracy.”
Usage
Commonly follows the verbs 'plead' or 'find'.
Antonyms
02feeling remorse
B1 · Intermediate
adj. feeling bad or ashamed because you have done something wrong.
adj. experiencing a sense of remorse or self-reproach for a perceived moral or social transgression.
“I felt guilty about eating the last piece of cake without asking.”
“She felt deeply guilty for missing her sister's graduation, even though the flight cancellation was beyond her control.”
Usage
Often takes the preposition 'about' or 'for'.
Synonyms
Antonyms
03responsible for a mistake
B2 · Upper Intermediate
adj. responsible for doing something dishonest or wrong, even if it is not a crime.
adj. responsible for a specified error, lapse, or dishonest act. Used to assign blame in non-legal contexts.
“The manager was guilty of making a very poor decision that cost the company money.”
“The report suggested that the administration was guilty of negligence in maintaining the safety equipment.”
Usage
Usually followed by the preposition 'of'.
Synonyms
Antonyms
Collocations
Common phrases and expressions where native English speakers use the word “guilty” in context.
Verb
01. feel guilty
“I feel guilty about eating the last piece of cake when I knew you wanted it.”
verb + adj
02. find someone guilty
“The jury found the defendant guilty after only two hours of deliberation.”
verb + noun + adj
03. plead guilty
“The man decided to plead guilty to the charges to get a lighter sentence.”
verb + adj
Adjective
04. guilty about something
“She felt very guilty about forgetting her best friend's birthday.”
adj + prep + noun
05. guilty of a crime
“The police had enough evidence to prove he was guilty of a crime.”
adj + prep + noun
06. terribly guilty
“He felt terribly guilty for not helping his neighbor with the heavy boxes.”
adv + adj
Noun
07. verdict of guilty
“The judge read out the verdict of guilty, and the courtroom went silent.”
noun + of + noun
08. guilty today
09. guilty to federal
10. guilty plea
11. guilty to all charges
12. guilty to murder
Etymology
From Middle English gilty, gulty, from Old English gyltiġ (“offending, guilty”); equivalent to guilt + -y.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Word family
NOUN
ADJECTIVE
Idioms
01. guilty pleasure
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.B1 PreliminaryIELTSIELTSInternational English Language Testing SystemThe 0–9 band test co-owned by the British Council, IDP, and Cambridge. Used for university entry, work, and migration.4.0–5.0TOEFL 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: 3.0–3.544–71TOEICTOEICTest of English for International CommunicationETS's workplace English test, big in Japan and Korea. Listening & Reading scores 10–990 and tops out at C1.550–784
- Frequency
- Common
- Level
- B1 · IntermediateOxford
- Updated
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QR code
englishreference.com/q/guilty
Traducciones: Kaikki.org (Wiktionary), CC BY-SA 4.0