adjective 应受责备的;有罪的;该受谴责的。指某人因过失或不当行为而应承担责任。
/ˈkʌl.pə.bəl/
He was found culpable for the accident because he ignored the safety rules.
他被认定对事故负有责任,因为他无视了安全规定。
The investigation revealed that several officials were culpable in allowing the contaminated water to reach the public supply without proper testing.
调查显示,几名官员在未经适当检测就允许受污染的水进入公共供水系统一事上负有不可推卸的责任。
该词源自古法语 culpable,而古法语又来自拉丁语 culpabilis,意为"值得责备的"。其词根是拉丁语 culpa,意为"过失、罪过"。英语中常见的短语 mea culpa(我的过错)也来自同一词根。该词自14世纪起进入英语,多用于法律和正式语境中。