Meanings
guilt1
plural guilts
- uncountableusuallyResponsibility for wrongdoing.
Synonyms: guiltiness · Antonyms: innocence, blamelessness, cleanness, inculpability, innocence, innocency, guiltlessness, unguilt
- uncountableusuallylawThe state of having been found guilty or admitted guilt in legal proceedings.
Antonyms: innocence
- uncountableusuallyRegret for having done wrong.
Appropriate guilt is experienced when we actually do something objectively wrong—for example, exploit another, betray a trust, and so on. […] Inappropriate guilt occurs from believing a lie and is resolved by an application of the truth.
2018, Timothy R. Jennings, The Aging Brain, →ISBN, page 158Synonyms: remorse, agenbite, remorse, rue, ruth, compunction, contrition, penitence
guilt2
present singular third person guilts · participle present guilting · participle past guilted · past guilted
- intransitiveobsoleteTo commit offenses; act criminally.
guilt3
present singular third person guilts · participle present guilting · participle past guilted · past guilted
- informaltransitiveTo cause someone to feel guilt, particularly in order to influence their behaviour.
He didn't want to do it, but his wife guilted him into it.
3 more examples
Shame based parents would have guilted him for expressing anger.
1988, John Bradshaw, Healing the shame that binds youWe don't have to be manipulated, guilted, coerced, or forced into anything.
1992, Melody Beattie, Codependent No More: how to stop controlling others and start caring for yourselfBut I won't be threatened or bribed or guilted into giving up something that's important to me.
1995, Nora Roberts, True Betrayals
guilt4
- not comparableobsoleteObsolete form of gilt (“gilded”)
Two silver monteths, two large fflaggons, two large tankards, two silver salvers, a voyder and a knyfe, two silver salts, two guilt bolls of the like size, one other boll, three silver bolls, in all 24 pieces guilt and unguilt.
1696, The Connoisseur, volume 5, published 1903, page 204
Synonyms & antonyms
nounResponsibility for wrongdoing.
nounThe state of having been found guilty or admitted guilt in legal proceedings.
nounRegret for having done wrong.
More synonyms by meaning
nounthe state of having committed an offense
nounremorse caused by feeling responsible for some offense
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
guilt · noun
- Proto-West Germanic*gulti?
- Old Englishgylt
- Middle Englishgilt
- Englishguilt
From Middle English gilt, gult, from Old English gylt (“guilt, sin, offense, crime, fault”), of obscure origin. Possibly related with Old English ġieldan (“to pay, requite, punish”) (whence yield), from Proto-West Germanic *guldijā (whence Middle High German gülte (“debt, fee, financial duty”), Middle Low German gülde, German Gülte), from Proto-West Germanic *geldan (“to pay for”), from Proto-Germanic *geldaną (“to pay”). However, neither the Old English stem form nor its ending -t (instead of -d) fit the continental form.
More words from Middle English, Old English, Proto-West Germanic
Full word history & related roots →guilt · verb
- Old Englishgyltan“to commit sin, be guilty”
- Middle Englishgilten
- Englishguilt
From Middle English gilten, gylten, from Old English gyltan (“to commit sin, be guilty”), from gylt (“guilt, sin, offense, crime, fault”).
More words from Middle English, Old English
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Afrikaans skuld
- skuldresponsibility for wrongdoing
Arabic ذَنْب, خِطْء
- ذَنْب (ḏanb)responsibility for wrongdoing
- خِطْء (ḵiṭʔ)responsibility for wrongdoing
- إِثْم (ʔiṯm)responsibility for wrongdoing
- جُرْم (jurm)responsibility for wrongdoing
- عَيْب (ʕayb)responsibility for wrongdoing
- خَطِيئَة (ḵaṭīʔa)responsibility for wrongdoing
- نَدَم (nadam)regret for having done wrong
Bengali দোষ, অপরাধবোধ
- দোষ (dōś)responsibility for wrongdoing
- অপরাধবোধ (opradhbōdh)responsibility for wrongdoing
Bulgarian вина́, вина́
- вина́ (viná)responsibility for wrongdoing
- вина́ (viná)legal
- вино́вност (vinóvnost)regret for having done wrong
Catalan culpabilitat, culpa
- culpabilitatresponsibility for wrongdoing
- culparesponsibility for wrongdoing
- culpabilitatlegal
- penedimentregret for having done wrong
Chinese Mandarin 罪狀 /罪状, 罪疚
- 罪狀 /罪状 (zuìzhuàng)responsibility for wrongdoing
- 罪疚 (zuìjiù)responsibility for wrongdoing
- 有罪 (yǒuzuì)responsibility for wrongdoing
- 犯罪 (fànzuì)legal
- 有罪 (yǒuzuì)legal
- 內疚 /内疚 (nèijiù)regret for having done wrong
Czech vina, vina
- vinaresponsibility for wrongdoing
- vinalegal
- vinaregret for having done wrong
Danish skyld
- skyldresponsibility for wrongdoing
Dutch schuld, schuld
- schuldresponsibility for wrongdoing
- schuldlegal
- schuldgevoelregret for having done wrong
Esperanto kulpo
- kulporesponsibility for wrongdoing
Estonian süü
- süüresponsibility for wrongdoing
Finnish syyllisyys, syyllisyys
- syyllisyysresponsibility for wrongdoing
- syyllisyyslegal
- syyllisyydentunneregret for having done wrong
- syyllisyysregret for having done wrong
French culpabilité, culpabilité
- culpabilitéresponsibility for wrongdoing
- culpabilitélegal
- sentiment de culpabilitéregret for having done wrong
German Schuld, Schuld
- Schuldresponsibility for wrongdoing
- Schuldlegal
- Schuldgefühlregret for having done wrong
Greek ενοχή, τύψη
- ενοχή (enochí)responsibility for wrongdoing
- τύψη (týpsi)regret for having done wrong
Hebrew אַשְׁמָה
- אַשְׁמָה (ashmá)responsibility for wrongdoing
Hindi अपराध, क़सूर
- अपराध (aprādh)responsibility for wrongdoing
- क़सूर (qasūr)responsibility for wrongdoing
- दोष (doṣ)responsibility for wrongdoing
- ऐब (aib)responsibility for wrongdoing
- अपराधबोध (aprādhbodh)regret for having done wrong
- आत्मग्लानि (ātmaglāni)regret for having done wrong
- दोष-भावना (doṣ-bhāvnā)regret for having done wrong
- दोषबोध (doṣbodh)regret for having done wrong
- अपराध-भावना (aprādh-bhāvnā)regret for having done wrong
Hungarian bűn, bűnösség
- bűnresponsibility for wrongdoing
- bűnösséglegal
- bűntudatregret for having done wrong
Icelandic skuld, sektarkennd
- skuldresponsibility for wrongdoing
- sektarkenndregret for having done wrong
Indonesian kesalahan
- kesalahanresponsibility for wrongdoing
Irish ciontacht
- ciontachtresponsibility for wrongdoing
Italian colpa, colpevolezza
- colparesponsibility for wrongdoing
- colpevolezzalegal
- senso di colparegret for having done wrong
Japanese 有罪, 罪
- 有罪 (yūzai)responsibility for wrongdoing
- 罪 (tsumi)responsibility for wrongdoing
- 責任 (sekinin)responsibility for wrongdoing
- 有罪 (yūzai)legal
- 犯罪 (hanzai)legal
- 罪悪感 (zaiakukan)regret for having done wrong
Korean 죄, 유죄
- 죄 (joe)responsibility for wrongdoing
- 유죄 (yujoe)responsibility for wrongdoing
- 책임 (chaegim)responsibility for wrongdoing
- 범죄 (beomjoe)legal
- 유죄 (yujoe)legal
- 죄책감 (joechaekgam)regret for having done wrong
Latin culpa, crimen
- culparesponsibility for wrongdoing
- crimenlegal
- reatitudolegal
Latvian vaina, vainīgums
- vainaresponsibility for wrongdoing
- vainīgumsresponsibility for wrongdoing
- vainībaresponsibility for wrongdoing
- vainalegal
- vainīgumslegal
- vainībalegal
- vainaregret for having done wrong
Lithuanian kaltė
- kaltėresponsibility for wrongdoing
Malay bersalah
- bersalahresponsibility for wrongdoing
Māori kaniawhea
- kaniawhearegret for having done wrong
Norwegian Bokmål skyld
- skyldresponsibility for wrongdoing
Polish wina, wina
- winaresponsibility for wrongdoing
- winalegal
Portuguese culpa, culpa
- culparesponsibility for wrongdoing
- culpalegal
- culparegret for having done wrong
Romanian păcat, vină
- păcatresponsibility for wrongdoing
- vinăresponsibility for wrongdoing
Russian вина́, вино́вность
- вина́ (viná)responsibility for wrongdoing
- вино́вность (vinóvnostʹ)responsibility for wrongdoing
- прови́нность (provínnostʹ)responsibility for wrongdoing
- вина́ (viná)legal
- вино́вность (vinóvnostʹ)legal
- прови́нность (provínnostʹ)legal
- вина́ (viná)regret for having done wrong
- чу́вство вины́ (čúvstvo viný)regret for having done wrong
Slovak vina
- vinaresponsibility for wrongdoing
Spanish culpa, culpabilidad
- culparesponsibility for wrongdoing
- culpabilidadlegal
- culparegret for having done wrong
- remordimientoregret for having done wrong
- hacer sentir culpableTranslations
Swahili hatia
- hatiaresponsibility for wrongdoing
Swedish skuld, skuldkänsla
- skuldresponsibility for wrongdoing
- skuldkänslaresponsibility for wrongdoing
- skuldregret for having done wrong
Tagalog kasalanan
- kasalananresponsibility for wrongdoing
Tamil குற்றம், குற்றம்
- குற்றம் (kuṟṟam)responsibility for wrongdoing
- குற்றம் (kuṟṟam)legal
- குற்ற உணர்வு (kuṟṟa uṇarvu)regret for having done wrong
- குற்ற உணர்ச்சி (kuṟṟa uṇarcci)regret for having done wrong
Thai ความรู้สึกผิด, ตราบาป
- ความรู้สึกผิด (kwaam-rúu-sʉ̀k-pìt)responsibility for wrongdoing
- ตราบาป (dtraa-bàap)responsibility for wrongdoing
- ความผิด (kwaam-pìt)responsibility for wrongdoing
Turkish suç, suçluluk
- suçresponsibility for wrongdoing
- suçlulukresponsibility for wrongdoing
Ukrainian вина́, прови́на
- вина́ (vyná)responsibility for wrongdoing
- прови́на (provýna)responsibility for wrongdoing
- вина́ (vyná)legal
- винува́тість (vynuvátistʹ)legal
- ви́нність (výnnistʹ)legal
- прови́нність (provýnnistʹ)legal
- вина́ (vyná)regret for having done wrong
- почуття́ вини́ (počuttjá vyný)regret for having done wrong
Urdu قَصُور, گُناہ
- قَصُور (qasūr)responsibility for wrongdoing
- گُناہ (gunāh)responsibility for wrongdoing
- اَپْرادھ (aprādh)responsibility for wrongdoing
- جُرْم (jurm)responsibility for wrongdoing
- عَیب ('aib)responsibility for wrongdoing
Vietnamese điều sai quấy, lỗi
- điều sai quấyresponsibility for wrongdoing
- lỗiresponsibility for wrongdoing
- lỗi lầmresponsibility for wrongdoing
- tội lỗilegal
- cảm giác tội lỗiregret for having done wrong
Welsh euogrwydd
- euogrwyddresponsibility for wrongdoing
Yiddish שולד
- שולד (shuld)responsibility for wrongdoing
Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with guilt
Sounds the same
Anagrams
Cite this entry
guilt. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/guilt
“guilt.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/guilt. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “guilt,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/guilt.
Source: guilt on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.