# guilty

Pronunciation: say "GIL-tee" /ˈɡɪl.ti/

## Adjective

1. Responsible for having done something wrong, harmful or dishonest, whether or not it is a crime (often guilty of).
   - Simple: Having done something wrong or bad, like lying, cheating or causing harm.
   - _The treasurer was guilty of misusing company funds for personal trips._
   - _The manager was guilty of hiding the mistakes from his own team._
2. Officially judged by a court or jury to have committed the crime charged.
   - Simple: Found by a court to have broken the law.
   - _The jury found the defendant guilty on all three counts._
   - _He was found guilty of fraud and sentenced to five years._
3. Feeling regret or unease because you believe you have done something wrong.
   - Simple: Feeling sorry or uncomfortable because you think you did something wrong.
   - _She felt guilty for not visiting her grandmother more often._
   - _He gave a guilty smile when asked about the missing money._

## Noun

4. A plea entered by a defendant who admits the charge rather than contesting it.
   - Simple: A statement in court where someone admits they did the crime.
   - _The defendant changed his plea to guilty midway through the trial._
   - _A plea of guilty waives the right to a jury trial._
5. A verdict by a judge or jury declaring that the defendant committed the crime charged.
   - Simple: A court's decision that a person did break the law.
   - _The foreman announced a verdict of guilty on all counts._
   - _A finding of guilty requires agreement among the jurors._
6. A person who has committed a crime, especially one found guilty by a court; with the, such people as a group.
   - Simple: A person who has done a crime, especially one a court has found guilty.
   - _The law seeks to punish the guilty and protect the innocent._
   - _Once the verdicts were read, sentencing for the guilty was set for the following week._

## Origin

Old English gyltiġ ("offending, guilty") became Middle English gilty or gulty; the word is equivalent to guilt plus the suffix -y.

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/guilty (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).