guilty

UK: /ˈgɪlti/ US: /ˈgɪlti/ ,(gil′tē)

Inflections of 'guilty' (adj):

guiltier

adj comparative

guiltiest

adj superlative

WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2025

guilt•y /ˈgɪlti/   adj., -i•er, -i•est. 

1. having committed an offense, crime, violation, or wrong, esp. against morals or against the law; culpable:
   The jury found the defendant guilty of murder.
2. having or showing a feeling of guilt:
   [before a noun] a guilty conscience.

guilt•i•ly /ˈgɪltəli/  adv. 
guilt•i•ness, n. [uncountable]

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2025

guilt•y  (gil′tē), adj., guilt•i•er, guilt•i•est. 

1. having committed an offense, crime, violation, or wrong, esp. against moral or penal law;
   justly subject to a certain accusation or penalty;
   culpable:
   The jury found her guilty of murder.
2. characterized by, connected with, or involving guilt:
   guilty intent.
3. having or showing a sense of guilt, whether real or imagined:
   a guilty conscience.

• bef. 1000; Middle English; Old English gyltig. See guilt, -y¹

guilt′i•ly, adv. 
guilt′i•ness, n. 
Synonyms

• 2. criminal, felonious, culpable; illicit, nefarious.

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

guilty / ˈɡɪltɪ/ adjective (guiltier, guiltiest)

1. responsible for an offence or misdeed
2. having committed an offence or adjudged to have done so: the accused was found guilty
3. of, showing, or characterized by guilt: a guilty smile, guilty pleasures

ˈguiltily adverb

ˈguiltiness noun