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n. 1. a. The fact of being responsible for the commission of an offense; moral culpability: The investigation uncovered the suspect's guilt. See Synonyms at blame. b. Law The fact of having been found to have violated a criminal law; legal culpability: The jury's job is to determine the defendant's guilt or innocence. c. Responsibility for a mistake or error: The guilt for the book's many typos lies with the editor. 2. A painful emotion experienced when one believes one's actions or thoughts have violated a moral or personal standard: She felt guilt for not having helped the injured animal. tr.v. guilt·ed, guilt·ing, guilts 1. To make or try to make (someone) feel guilty: My roommate guilted me for forgetting to wash the dishes. 2. To cause (someone) to do something by arousing feelings of guilt: My roommate guilted me into washing the dishes. [Middle English gilt, from Old English gylt, crime.] |
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