culpable
KUL-puh-buladjMeaning deserving blame
Memory hook CULP-able: the CULPRIT is to blame. Muddy paw prints lead straight from the kitchen to the dog’s bed. The dog is the culprit: he is culpable.
The muddy paw prints showed that the dog was culpable.
In context The report found the builder culpable: he had known the beams were cracked and had covered them with paint instead of replacing them.
Similar blameworthy, guilty, at fault, responsible
Opposite innocent, blameless, guiltless
From Latin culpabilis, “blameworthy,” from culpa (fault, blame).