culprits

Culprit is a noun referring to a person who is responsible for a crime or wrongdoing. It is used to denote someone identified as the cause of a problem or harm. In everyday usage the term often carries a connotation of blame, regardless of whether a formal finding of guilt has been made.

Etymology: The word derives from Old French culpable, meaning "guilty," from Latin culpa, meaning "fault" or "blame."

Usage: In legal contexts, culprit may refer to the person charged with a crime or found guilty; in journalism and everyday speech, the term can be used for the suspected or alleged wrongdoer, with the understanding that guilt may be unresolved or disputed.

In culture and media, culprits are a common device in crime fiction, newspapers, and investigative reporting, often highlighted to identify responsibility behind a misdeed or mishap. The term is frequently paired with qualifiers such as "the hidden culprit" or "the principal culprit" to emphasize blame or causation.

See also: offender, perpetrator, defendant; antonyms include innocent, blameless.