guilty
adjective
\ ˈgil-tē
\
\
guiltier;
guiltiest
Definition of guilty
1
: justly chargeable with or responsible for a usually grave breach of conduct or a crime
Does the defendant plead guilty or not guilty?
2
obsolete
: justly liable to or deserving of a penalty
3a
: suggesting or involving guilt
The children exchanged guilty looks.
b
: aware of or suffering from guilt
guilty consciences
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Other Words from guilty
guiltily
\ ˈgil-​tə-​lē
\
adverb
\
adverb
guiltiness
\ ˈgil-​tē-​nəs
\
noun
\
noun
Examples of guilty in a Sentence
Do you think he's innocent or guilty?
Will the defendant plead guilty or not guilty?
The children exchanged guilty looks.
He was acting like someone with a guilty conscience.
There's no need to feel guilty about it.
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Recent Examples on the Web
Plummer, 30, of Baltimore, pleaded guilty in November to one count of racketeering conspiracy. — Tim Prudente, baltimoresun.com, "Five years after 3-year-old McKenzie Elliott was killed on her Baltimore porch, gunman gets 25-year sentence," 28 Aug. 2019 Terry originally pleaded not guilty in the case but changed his plea earlier this month. — Andrew Clark, Indianapolis Star, "Indianapolis man gets 65 years in 2018 murder, robbery of Papa John's manager," 28 Aug. 2019 Rochelle Jones pleaded guilty in January to criminally negligent homicide. — oregonlive.com, "Two caregivers plead guilty to charges tied to baby’s death at Hood River day care," 27 Aug. 2019 Silmi, of North Olmsted, pleaded guilty in January to drug conspiracy and money laundering conspiracy charges. — Eric Heisig, cleveland.com, "Former Ohio City nightclub owner sentenced to prison for leading drug ring," 26 Aug. 2019 Butina, 30, pleaded guilty in December 2018 to acting as an unregistered foreign agent of the Russian state. — Billy Perrigo, Time, "The Overstock CEO Resigned Claiming 'Deep State' Conspiracy and a Relationship With a Russian Spy. Here's What to Know," 23 Aug. 2019 The watching world had been stupefied by trials in Moscow when foremost Communists pleaded guilty to crimes of treason they could not possibly have committed. — David Pryce-jones, National Review, "The Cold War of Words," 22 Aug. 2019 Anthony Reed reportedly signed a sealed plea agreement and Rahsaan Faison pleaded guilty to firearms trafficking, says The Guardian. — Chris Morris, Fortune, "Arms Traffickers Use Snapchat To Sell Illegal Weapons," 22 Aug. 2019 The dealer pleaded guilty in 2017 and was sentenced to prison. — Bob Egelko, SFChronicle.com, "Defunct website not culpable in death of man from fentanyl, court rules," 21 Aug. 2019These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'guilty.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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More Definitions for guilty
guilty
adjective
English Language Learners Definition of guilty
: responsible for committing a crime or doing something bad or wrong
: showing that you know you have done something bad or wrong
: feeling bad because you have done something bad or wrong or because you believe you have done something bad or wrong
See the full definition for guilty in the English Language Learners Dictionary
guilty
adjective
\ ˈgil-tē
\
\
guiltier;
guiltiest
Kids Definition of guilty
1
: responsible for having done wrong
2
: suffering from or showing bad feelings about having done wrong
I feel guilty about lying.
guilty
adjective
guiltier;
guiltiest
Legal Definition of guilty
(Entry 1 of 2)
1
: having committed a crime : justly charged with a specified crime
guilty of larceny
2
: involving guilt or culpability
guilty knowledge
guilty
noun