Princeton's WordNet(5.00 / 1 vote)Rate this definition:

1. guilt, guiltiness(noun)

   the state of having committed an offense

2. guilt, guilty conscience, guilt feelings, guilt trip(noun)

   remorse caused by feeling responsible for some offense

GCIDE(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition:

1. Guilt(n.)

   A feeling of regret or remorse for having committed some improper act; a recognition of one's own responsibility for doing something wrong.

Origin: [OE. gilt, gult, AS. gylt, crime; probably originally signifying, the fine or mulct paid for an offence, and afterward the offense itself, and akin to AS. gieldan to pay, E. yield. See Yield, v. t.]

Webster Dictionary(5.00 / 2 votes)Rate this definition:

1. Guilt(verb)

   the criminality and consequent exposure to punishment resulting from willful disobedience of law, or from morally wrong action; the state of one who has broken a moral or political law; crime; criminality; offense against right

2. Guilt(verb)

   exposure to any legal penalty or forfeiture

Origin: [OE. gilt, gult, AS. gylt, crime; probably originally signifying, the fine or mulct paid for an offence, and afterward the offense itself, and akin to AS. gieldan to pay, E. yield. See Yield, v. t.]

Freebase(4.00 / 1 vote)Rate this definition:

1. Guilt

   Guilt is a cognitive or an emotional experience that occurs when a person realizes or believes—accurately or not—that he or she has compromised his or her own standards of conduct or has violated a moral standard, and bears significant responsibility for that violation. It is closely related to the concept of remorse.

Chambers 20th Century Dictionary(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition:

1. Guilt

   gilt, n. punishable conduct: the state of having broken a law: crime: wickedness.—adv. Guilt′ily.—n. Guilt′iness.—adj. Guilt′less, free from crime: innocent.—adv. Guilt′lessly.—n. Guilt′lessness.—adj. Guilt′y, justly chargeable with a crime: wicked: pertaining to guilt.—adv. Guilt′y-like (Shak.), guiltily.—Guilty of (sometimes in B.), deserving. [Orig. a payment or fine for an offence; A.S. gylt, guilt—gildan, to pay, to atone.]

2. Guilt

   gilt, p.adj. (Spens.) gilded.

U.S. National Library of Medicine(4.00 / 1 vote)Rate this definition:

1. Guilt

   Subjective feeling of having committed an error, offense or sin; unpleasant feeling of self-criticism. These result from acts, impulses, or thoughts contrary to one's personal conscience.

Suggested Resources(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition:

1. guilt

   The guilt symbol -- In this Symbols.com article you will learn about the meaning of the guilt symbol and its characteristic.

British National Corpus

1. Nouns Frequency

   Rank popularity for the word 'guilt' in Nouns Frequency: #2024

Numerology

1. Chaldean Numerology

   The numerical value of guilt in Chaldean Numerology is: 8

2. Pythagorean Numerology

   The numerical value of guilt in Pythagorean Numerology is: 6

Sample Sentences & Example Usage

1. Alexios Zavras:

   Happiness knows no guilt

2. Lawyer Thomas M. Hoidal:

   It's guilt by association.

3. Ayn Rand:

   Guilt is a rope that wears thin.

4. Jane Austen:

   Let other pens dwell on guilt and misery.

5. Giuseppe Creazzo:

   We believe there is strong evidence of guilt.

Images & Illustrations of guilt

Popularity rank by frequency of use