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Prepositions after adjectives

Culpable for vs. culpable in

Culpable for is the standard pattern for responsibility or blame. Culpable in appears in formal contexts when referring to involvement in an act or event.

Quick answer

Which preposition is correct with culpable?

Use culpable for to say someone is responsible for something wrong. Use culpable in mainly in formal or legal contexts to describe involvement in wrongdoing.

The company was culpable for the safety failures
Several officials were culpable in the fraud scheme
He was found culpable for the damage

Choose the pattern by meaning

These forms are not interchangeable. Choose the construction by meaning, not by which preposition appears most often.

1
culpable for + action/result

Taking responsibility or blame

Culpable for is the standard and most widely used pattern.

She was culpable for the reporting errors
The driver was culpable for the accident
2
culpable in + event/activity

Describing involvement in wrongdoing

Culpable in is more formal and usually appears with crimes, scandals, or investigations.

Two managers were culpable in the accounting fraud
He was considered culpable in the cover-up
3
hold someone culpable for

Assigning blame formally

This pattern is common in legal, academic, and official writing.

The court held them culpable for the losses
Investigators found the agency culpable for negligence

See the difference in context

The same subject can take different constructions because each sentence answers a different question.

Construction
Example
Meaning
culpable for
The contractor was culpable for the delay.
Standard pattern for responsibility or fault.
culpable in
Several executives were culpable in the scheme.
Formal pattern meaning involved in wrongdoing.
culpable of
The suspect was guilty of fraud.
Of is not the usual preposition with culpable; guilty of is more natural.
culpable at
She was culpable for the error at work.
At usually expresses place and is not selected by culpable.

Common mistakes

Some combinations appear in real text but do not mean what learners often assume.

Using of after culpable

English normally uses for or sometimes in with culpable.

✕ culpable of negligence ✓ culpable for negligence

Using in for simple responsibility

For is usually better for direct blame.

✕ culpable in the accident ✓ culpable for the accident

Confusing culpable with guilty

Guilty commonly takes of, but culpable usually does not.

✕ guilty for theft ✓ guilty of theft

Using culpable in casual contexts

Culpable in sounds formal and legal.

✕ He was culpable in missing dinner ✓ He was responsible for missing dinner

Quick practice

Choose the expression that matches the intended meaning.

1. The company was ___ the pollution.
2. Several officials were ___ the corruption scandal.
3. Which sentence is most natural?

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Frequently asked questions

Is culpable for more common than culpable in?

Yes. Culpable for is the standard general pattern.

Can culpable in be correct?

Yes. It is used mainly in formal or legal language about involvement in wrongdoing.

What is the difference between culpable and guilty?

Culpable focuses on responsibility or blame, while guilty often refers directly to committing an offence.

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