guilt trip

plural guilt trips

1. idiomaticA feeling of shame or embarrassment, especially if self-indulgent, unwarranted, exaggerated or felt over a significant period of time.

   to go on a guilt trip

   5 more examples

   to send someone on a guilt trip

   “I know what she’s talking about, too,” Roger said. “But I don’t see any way of getting around it. First of all, I want to make it clear that nobody’s sending me on any guilt trip over my money.”

   1972, Judith Rossner, Any Minute I Can Split, New York: McGraw-Hill, →ISBN, page 174

   Thinking about the origins of our stuff (and stuffing) should not preclude gleeful participation in tomorrow’s free-for-all, nor do I mean to send anyone on a guilt trip for enjoying traditions old and new.

   2014 November 27, Chad Broughton, “Black Friday, Through the Eyes of Smith and Marx”, in The Atlantic, archived from the original on 02 Feb 2015

   My parents had survived war and dictatorship before the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965 allowed more non-Europeans to immigrate to the United States, and they overcompensated for the austerity of their childhoods by allowing me to consume any food I wanted, with a side of guilt trip.

   2017 April 6, Lisa Ko, “What ‘White’ Food Meant to a First-Generation Kid”, in The New York Times, →ISSN, archived from the original on 18 Mar 2020

   I have done my part by paying taxes to sustain payments of anticipated benefits. If Mr. Kramon wants to go on a guilt trip, he can do so, but he is dead wrong that our generation shirked its responsibilities, and, frankly, I am getting tired of listening to this nonsense.

   2018 November 3, Robert Millsap, “Are Baby Boomers Being Selfish?”, in The New York Times, →ISSN, archived from the original on 20 Aug 2020

2. idiomaticAn act that produces such a feeling.

   Sections of the media are culpable of only describing two types of African – powerful and corrupt, or destitute and starving. But Comic Relief’s biennial guilt trip perpetuates these stereotypes and fails to move the debate on in a constructive way.

   2017 March 24, David Lammy, “Africa deserves better from Comic Relief”, in The Guardian, →ISSN, archived from the original on 02 Mar 2019

   1 more example

   I must admit that I personally dislike this form of fundraising and consider it to be one of the worst ways to raise awareness for any charity, the only one worse than this is the ‘knock on the door’ at teatime with the same ‘guilt trip’ message hammered home by the young person in the charity shirt.

   2013 June 27, “Letters: getting over the charitable giving guilt trip”, in The Guardian, →ISSN, archived from the original on 09 May 2015

present singular third person guilt trips · participle present guilt tripping · participle past guilt tripped · past guilt tripped

1. alternativeAlternative form of guilt-trip.

   “Where do you draw the line,” she [Rachel Mason] said, “of guilt tripping people into tipping?”

   2023 April 27, Marisa Gerber, “‘Do y’all think tipping culture has gotten out of control?’ Inside our evolving tipping dilemma”, in Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles, Calif.: Los Angeles Times Communications, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 27 Apr 2023

   3 more examples

   It succeeded in portraying environmentalists as guilt tripping, callous and vindictive – exactly the colours in which climate change deniers had been painting them for years.

   2011 May 12, David Burrows, Anna Simpson, Martin Wright, “Winning the persuasion game”, in Alan Rusbridger, editor, The Guardian, London: Guardian News & Media, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 19 Aug 2013

   You are always putting him first, even at your own expense. But you do it anyhow either because you feel obligated to, or are manipulated and guilt tripped into it.

   2019 August 5, Harriet Johnston, “Is YOUR partner a narcissist? Psychotherapist reveals the nine tell-tale signs - including ignoring your choices and giving you guilt trips”, in Daily Mail, London: DMG Media, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 05 Aug 2019

   We are thrust into a world where we have to grow such a thick skin so fast. And when we cope with it in unhealthy ways we are guilt tripped and told we are faking it for attention.

   2022 May 12, The Learning Network, quoting B., “What Students Are Saying About Teen Mental Health, Moderating Speech and Special Talents”, in The New York Times, New York, N.Y.: The New York Times Company, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 12 May 2022