Meanings
plural culprits
- The person or thing at fault for a problem or crime.
I have tightened the loose bolt that was the culprit; it should work now.
3 more examples
Another sits beneath the purple canopy—a lady, but alone. The diadem is on her cold and haughty brow; there is no pity in her stern aspect, and the smile on her lip bodes death. Before her stands the lovely culprit, whose fatal beauty, and still more fatal love, are about to be dearly requited.
1834, L[etitia] E[lizabeth] L[andon], chapter XVII, in Francesca Carrara. […], volume III, London: Richard Bentley, […], (successor to Henry Colburn), →OCLC, page 145Railway police are making a full investigation into the matter, and the headmasters of schools have been approached, but it is difficult in such cases to discover the culprits, unless they are caught red-handed.
1960 May 28, “Wanton Damage in Trains”, in Railway Magazine, page 300But the Dutch dominated only to waste numerous efforts, with Arjen Robben and Robin van Persie the main culprits.
2012 June 9, Owen Phillips, “Euro 2012: Netherlands 0-1 Denmark”, in BBC Sport
Synonyms & antonyms
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
From Anglo-Norman cul. prit, contraction of culpable: prest (d'averrer nostre bille) 'guilty: ready (to prove our case)', words used by prosecutor in opening a trial, mistaken in English for an address to the defendant. See culpable. It may have been influenced by Latin culpa (“blame, fault”).
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Arabic مُجْرِم, جَانِي
- مُجْرِم (mujrim)person or thing at fault of problem or crime
- جَانِي (jānī)person or thing at fault of problem or crime
- مُتَّهَم (muttaham)person accused but not yet tried
Basque errudun
- errudunperson or thing at fault of problem or crime
Bulgarian обвиняем, подсъдим
- обвиняем (obvinjaem)person or thing at fault of problem or crime
- подсъдим (podsădim)person or thing at fault of problem or crime
Catalan culpable
- culpableperson or thing at fault of problem or crime
Chinese Mandarin 元凶, 肇事者
- 元凶 (yuánxiōng)person or thing at fault of problem or crime
- 肇事者 (zhàoshìzhě)person or thing at fault of problem or crime
- 肇因 (zhàoyīn)person or thing at fault of problem or crime
Czech viník
- viníkperson or thing at fault of problem or crime
Dutch schuldige, dader
- schuldigeperson or thing at fault of problem or crime
- daderperson or thing at fault of problem or crime
Esperanto krimulo
- krimuloperson or thing at fault of problem or crime
Finnish syyllinen, syypää
- syyllinenperson or thing at fault of problem or crime
- syypääperson or thing at fault of problem or crime
French coupable
- coupableperson or thing at fault of problem or crime
German Beschuldigter, Missetäter
- Beschuldigterperson or thing at fault of problem or crime
- Missetäterperson or thing at fault of problem or crime
- Schuldigerperson or thing at fault of problem or crime
- Täterperson or thing at fault of problem or crime
- Übeltäterperson or thing at fault of problem or crime
- Beklagterperson or thing at fault of problem or crime
Greek ένοχος, φταίχτης
- ένοχος (énochos)person or thing at fault of problem or crime
- φταίχτης (ftaíchtis)person or thing at fault of problem or crime
Hebrew אשם
- אשם (ashém)person or thing at fault of problem or crime
Hungarian bűnös, tettes
- bűnösperson or thing at fault of problem or crime
- tettesperson or thing at fault of problem or crime
- elkövetőperson or thing at fault of problem or crime
- vádlottperson accused but not yet tried
Indonesian pembuat ulah, pelaku
- pembuat ulahperson or thing at fault of problem or crime
- pelakuperson or thing at fault of problem or crime
Irish ciontach
- ciontachperson or thing at fault of problem or crime
Italian colpevole, reo
- colpevoleperson or thing at fault of problem or crime
- reoperson or thing at fault of problem or crime
Japanese 犯人
- 犯人 (hannin)person or thing at fault of problem or crime
Korean 범인
- 범인 (beomin)person or thing at fault of problem or crime
Latin reus, nocens
- reusperson or thing at fault of problem or crime
- nocensperson or thing at fault of problem or crime
- noxiusperson or thing at fault of problem or crime
Latvian vaininieks, vaininiece
- vaininieksperson or thing at fault of problem or crime
- vaininieceperson or thing at fault of problem or crime
Norwegian Bokmål synder
- synderperson or thing at fault of problem or crime
Polish delikwent, delikwentka
- delikwentperson or thing at fault of problem or crime
- delikwentkaperson or thing at fault of problem or crime
- winowajcaperson or thing at fault of problem or crime
- winowajczyniperson or thing at fault of problem or crime
- sprawcaperson or thing at fault of problem or crime
- sprawczyniperson or thing at fault of problem or crime
- podejrzanyperson accused but not yet tried
- podejrzanaperson accused but not yet tried
Portuguese culpado
- culpadoperson or thing at fault of problem or crime
Russian вино́вник, обвиня́емый
- вино́вник (vinóvnik)person or thing at fault of problem or crime
- обвиня́емый (obvinjájemyj)person or thing at fault of problem or crime
- подсуди́мый (podsudímyj)person or thing at fault of problem or crime
- подозреваемый (podozrevajemyj)person accused but not yet tried
- подследственный (podsledstvennyj)person accused but not yet tried
Spanish culpable, nocente
- culpableperson or thing at fault of problem or crime
- nocenteperson or thing at fault of problem or crime
Swahili mkosaji
- mkosajiperson or thing at fault of problem or crime
Swedish brottsling, förövare
- brottslingperson or thing at fault of problem or crime
- förövareperson or thing at fault of problem or crime
- gärningsmanperson or thing at fault of problem or crime
Thai คนร้าย, ผู้ร้าย
- คนร้าย (kon-ráai)person or thing at fault of problem or crime
- ผู้ร้าย (pûu-ráai)person or thing at fault of problem or crime
Turkish mücrim, suçlu
- mücrimperson or thing at fault of problem or crime
- suçluperson or thing at fault of problem or crime
- zanlıperson or thing at fault of problem or crime
- hükümlüperson or thing at fault of problem or crime
- sanıkperson or thing at fault of problem or crime
Vietnamese thủ phạm
- thủ phạmperson or thing at fault of problem or crime
Welsh euog
- euogperson or thing at fault of problem or crime
Cite this entry
culprit. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/culprit
“culprit.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/culprit. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “culprit,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/culprit.
Source: culprit on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.