guilt

Plural: guilts

Noun

the state of having committed an offense
remorse caused by feeling responsible for some offense
Responsibility for wrongdoing.
The state of having been found guilty or admitted guilt in legal proceedings.
Regret for having done wrong.

Verb

To commit offenses; act criminally.
To cause someone to feel guilt, particularly in order to influence their behaviour.

Adj

Obsolete form of gilt (“gilded”)

Examples

"He didn't want to do it, but his wife guilted him into it."

Origin / Etymology

From Middle English gilt, gult, from Old English gylt (“guilt, sin, offense, crime, fault”), of obscure origin, but possibly related with Old English ġieldan (“to pay, requite, punish”), whence yield. More specifically it could be connected with Proto-West Germanic *guldijā, whence Middle Low German gülde, Middle High German gülte (“debt, fee, financial duty”). However, neither the Old English stem form nor the -t (instead of -d) fit the continental form.

Synonyms

guilt feelings, guilt trip, guiltiness, guilty conscience, remorse

Antonyms

innocence

Scrabble Score: 6

guilt is a valid Scrabble (US) TWL word
guilt is a valid Scrabble Word in Merriam-Webster MW Dictionary
guilt is a valid Scrabble Word in International Collins CSW Dictionary

Words With Friends Score: 9

guilt is a valid Words With Friends word