adj., -i·er, -i·est.
- Responsible for a reprehensible act; culpable.
- Law. Found to have violated a criminal law by a jury or judge.
- Deserving blame, as for an error: guilty of misjudgment.
- Suffering from or prompted by a sense of guilt: a guilty conscience.
- Suggesting or entailing guilt: a guilty smirk; a guilty secret. See synonyms at blameworthy.
guiltiness guilt'i·ness n.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
