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Prepositions after adjectives

Guilty of, to, about, for or in?

Guilty of is the standard pattern for crimes and actions. Guilty about describes feelings of regret.

Quick answer

Which preposition follows guilty?

Use guilty of for crimes, mistakes, or actions. Use guilty about for feelings of regret. Guilty to appears in legal or formal expressions such as plead guilty to. Guilty for and guilty in are not standard adjective patterns.

He was found guilty of fraud.
She felt guilty about forgetting the meeting.

Choose the pattern by meaning

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

1
guilty of + action

Responsibility for wrongdoing

This is the standard and most common pattern.

They were guilty of cheating.
2
guilty about + situation

Feeling regret

Use about for emotional reactions.

I feel guilty about the misunderstanding.
3
guilty to + charge

Legal admission

Usually used with plead rather than directly after guilty.

He pleaded guilty to two charges.

See the difference in context

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

Construction
Example
Meaning
guilty of
She is guilty of negligence.
responsible for wrongdoing
guilty about
He felt guilty about lying.
feeling regret or shame
guilty to
The defendant pleaded guilty to theft.
legal admission connected with plead guilty
guilty for
She felt guilty for missing dinner.
informal alternative to guilty about, but less standard
guilty in
He was guilty in the eyes of the public.
in introduces a viewpoint phrase, not a fixed pattern

Common mistakes

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

Using guilty to without legal context

Use guilty of for ordinary responsibility.

✕ She is guilty to cheating. ✓ She is guilty of cheating.

Using guilty in for offences

Use of with crimes or wrongdoing.

✕ He was guilty in fraud. ✓ He was guilty of fraud.

Quick practice

Choose the expression that matches the intended meaning.

1. The employee was guilty ___ breaking company rules.
2. I feel guilty ___ not calling my parents.
3. The suspect pleaded guilty ___ the charge.

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Frequently asked questions

Is guilty for incorrect?

It appears in informal speech, but guilty about is usually more standard for feelings.

Can guilty of describe small mistakes?

Yes. It can refer to serious crimes or minor actions.

Why is guilty to used in legal language?

It commonly follows the verb plead in legal contexts: plead guilty to a charge.

gay-in-for-to-with, by general of, in, for, at or on? "generous with", "generous to" or "generous in"? "gentle with" or "gentle on"? genuine in, about, to, with or by? germane to, for, in, as or at? "giddy with", "giddy at" or "giddy about"? "gifted with" or "gifted to"? "glad for" or "glad of"? global in, to, with, as or for? "good for" or "good at"? "gorgeous in" or "gorgeous with"?

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