What does guiltiness mean?
Guiltiness is an abstract noun meaning the state or quality of being guilty. It can refer to moral or legal culpability, as when someone is responsible for an offence, and it can also describe the presence of a guilty conscience or a strong awareness of wrongdoing. In emotional contexts, guiltiness may suggest a person's sensitivity to having caused harm, hurt, or difficulty for someone else. The word is less common and more formal than the simpler noun guilt, but it can be useful when the quality or condition of guilt itself needs emphasis. Expressions such as “a sense of guiltiness” and “moral guiltiness” place it in psychological or ethical discussion. Because guiltiness is usually uncountable, related ideas are more naturally expressed with phrases such as “degrees of guilt,” “a sense of guilt,” or “moral culpability” rather than through frequent pluralization.
nounThe state or quality of being guilty, especially of being morally or legally responsible for wrongdoing or of experiencing a strong sense of culpability.
- The state or quality of being guilty, particularly as a matter of moral or legal responsibility.
- The presence or intensity of a guilty feeling within a person.
"She struggled with the guiltiness that followed the accident."
"The witness described the unmistakable guiltiness in his manner."
"The inquiry focused on the guiltiness of the defendant's actions."
The plural is rarely used; “degrees of guilt” or “levels of guilt” is more idiomatic.
"The essay distinguishes between the different guiltinesses of the two brothers."
Guiltiness is the formal footprint of guilt: it can suggest wrongdoing, remorse, or the weight of feeling responsible.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does guiltiness come from?
Guiltiness is an English formation made by adding the suffix -ness to the older noun guilt. Guilt descends from Old English gylt, an inherited Germanic word associated with debt, offence, and culpability. The related forms guilty and guiltless developed from this same base, with -less forming the later opposite in meaning.
How guiltiness is actually used
This word is relatively formal and much less common than guilt. It is normally treated as an uncountable abstract noun, although a plural is occasionally possible.
Easily confused with guiltiness
Guiltiness is a noun naming the state or quality of being guilty, whereas guilty is an adjective describing a person or thing as culpable.