English vocabulary · B2
Culprit
/ˈkʌl.prɪt/ · n.
It means the person or thing that caused a problem.
Continue in the learning app for video lessons and review.
Example sentences
- The real culprit was a loose wire.
- The police found the culprit near the door.
Word origin and roots
from Latin
- culp — blame (from Latin)
Synonyms and nuances
- OFFENDER — the one who did it (Person At Fault)
- CAUSE — what made it happen (Problem Source)
- GUILTY ONE — the one to blame (Blame Point)
Words with the same root
culp — blame
- culpable — to blame
- culpability — blame
Lesson notes
Culprit. It means the person or thing that caused a problem.
Related: offender, cause, guilty one. Use culprit when you find what caused trouble.
The real culprit was a loose wire. The police found the culprit near the door.
From Latin. Culp means blame. When one person or thing gets the blame, that is the culprit.