BharatNotes Culpability
noun (uncountable)Usage in a UPSC answer
The Central Vigilance Commission's inquiry found diminished culpability in the junior engineer's case, as documentary evidence showed that approvals had been granted under pressure from a superior whose instructions overrode standard QA protocols.
Synonyms
Antonyms
Word Family
culpable (adjective), culpably (adverb), inculpate (verb), exculpate (verb), culprit (noun)
Root
Latin culpa = fault, blame + -abilis = capable of + -ity = state of
Etymology
From Latin culpabilis (blameworthy), derived from culpa (fault, blame). The root culpa is also the source of mea culpa (my fault), a phrase that entered English directly from Latin liturgy. The word entered English in the 17th century, primarily in legal contexts, to denote blameworthiness that creates liability. The same root gives 'culprit' — from Law French cul prit (guilty-ready, i.e., ready to prove guilty).
Memory Hook
CULPA = FAULT (mea culpa = my fault): Culpability is your fault-ability — how much fault can be attached to you. Think of the phrase 'MEA CULPA' Catholics recite: 'through my most grievous fault.' Culpability is that very fault measured and assigned.
How This Word Works in UPSC Writing
Blameworthiness, the state of deserving censure for a wrong. In GS4 it is the word for apportioning responsibility once a failure has occurred, which is why it belongs in answers on accountability for administrative lapses. The useful refinement is that culpability admits degrees: negligence, recklessness and intention are not equally blameworthy even where the harm is identical.
Don’t Confuse It With
Culpability is deserving of blame. Liability is legal responsibility to answer or compensate, which can exist without moral blame. Accountability is the obligation to explain and justify. Guilt is the established fact of having committed the wrong, whereas culpability concerns how much blame attaches.
Hindi Meaning
दोषिता (doshitā) or अपराधबोध in the sense of blameworthiness.
Common Questions
- What does culpability mean?
- The state of deserving blame for a wrongful act or failure.
- Is culpability the same as liability?
- No. Liability is legal responsibility, which can arise without personal fault. Culpability concerns moral blameworthiness.
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