Culprit Meaning
/ˈkʌlpɹɪt/Definition, CEFR level C1, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
Listen pronunciation
Definition
nounThe person or thing at fault for a problem or crime.
nounA prisoner accused but not yet tried.
Sentence Examples
As I read through the letters, I realized that the Pope was the true culprit.
None of them would admit to being the culprit.
Synonyms & Antonyms
Synonyms:
Antonyms:
None
CEFR Practice Quiz
The police quickly identified the ____ who stole the car.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
As I read through the letters, I realized that the Pope was the true ____.
Word Origin & History
From Anglo-Norman cul. prit, contraction of culpable: prest (d'averrer nostre bille) 'guilty: ready (to prove our case)', words used by prosecutor in opening a trial, mistaken in English for an address to the defendant. See culpable. It may have been influenced by Latin culpa (“blame, fault”).
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"Another sits beneath the purple canopy—a lady, but alone. The diadem is on her cold and haughty brow; there is no pity in her stern aspect, and the smile on her lip bodes death. Before her stands the lovely culprit, whose fatal beauty, and still more fatal love, are about to be dearly requited."
— 1834, L[etitia] E[lizabeth] L[andon], chapter XVII, in Francesca Carrara. […], volume III, London: Richard Bentley, […], (successor to Henry Colburn), →OCLC, page 145:
"Railway police are making a full investigation into the matter, and the headmasters of schools have been approached, but it is difficult in such cases to discover the culprits, unless they are caught red-handed."
— 1960 May 26, “Wanton Damage in Trains”, in Railway Magazine, page 300:
"But the Dutch dominated only to waste numerous efforts, with Arjen Robben and Robin van Persie the main culprits."
— 2012 June 9, Owen Phillips, “Euro 2012: Netherlands 0-1 Denmark”, in BBC Sport:
Explore More C1 Vocabulary Words
CEFR Practice Quiz
The police quickly identified the ____ who stole the car.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
As I read through the letters, I realized that the Pope was the true ____.