Culprit

/ˈkʌl.prɪt/

Meaning & Definition

noun

A person who is responsible for a crime or wrongdoing.

The police swiftly apprehended the culprit behind the string of burglaries.

A person or thing responsible for a specified problem or fault.

The investigation revealed that pollution was the main culprit of the river's decline in health.

A guilty party in a legal context.

In court, the culprit pleaded not guilty to the charges against him.

From Latin 'culpan', meaning blame or fault.

foul play

deceptive or unfair behavior, often in a crime context

a scapegoat

someone who is unfairly blamed for problems not of their making

culpable

deserving blame

culpability

the quality of being guilty or responsible for a fault

suspect

That guy is the main suspect; he might be the culprit.

bad guy

In every story, there's always a culprit, the bad guy everyone loves to hate.