Basic Details
Word: Blameworthy
Part of Speech: Adjective
Meaning: Deserving to be blamed for something wrong or harmful.
Synonyms: culpable, guilty, responsible, at fault
Antonyms: innocent, blameless, praiseworthy
How to Spell Blameworthy
Syllables: blame - wor - thy
Tricky part: It is a compound of blame and worthy, so the e of blame stays, and worthy is spelt with o, not e or u.
Watch out for: blamworthy, blameworthey, blamewerthy
Memory tip: Join two whole words without cutting anything: blame + worthy. If it is worth blaming, it is blameworthy.
Usage Examples
Example 1: The inquiry found that no single officer was blameworthy for the crash.
Example 2: Breaking a glass by accident is not as blameworthy as lying about it.
Example 3: The coach said the whole team, not just the goalkeeper, was blameworthy for the loss.
Fun Fact
Worthy joins many nouns to mean 'deserving' or 'fit for': trustworthy, newsworthy, roadworthy and seaworthy are all built the same way.
Practise the CREST Way
Spell-o-Spell
Only one word in the list is spelt correctly. Choose the meaning of that word.
1. reprimend 2. consciance 3. accusasion 4. blameworthy
a) deserving blame for something wrong
b) a person's inner sense of right and wrong
c) a claim that someone has done something wrong
d) a formal expression of strong disapproval
Show answer
a) deserving blame for something wrong. Reprimand, conscience and accusation have each been written the way they sound, which is how mistakes creep in; blameworthy is untouched.
Word Connection
Choose the word opposite in meaning to blameworthy as used in the sentence:
The report held the contractor blameworthy for the collapse of the footbridge.
a) culpable
b) responsible
c) guilty
d) innocent
Show answer
d) innocent. Innocent clears the contractor of fault, while culpable, guilty and responsible put the blame on him.
Word Makeup
Choose the correctly spelt compound word:
a) lifegaurd
b) sunstrok
c) blameworthy
d) hartbeat
Show answer
c) blameworthy. Blameworthy keeps both parts whole; the others need fixing to lifeguard, heartbeat and sunstroke.
Word Cookie
Find the extra letter in the word:
blameworthey
a) e
b) a
c) h
d) o
Show answer
a) e. Worthy ends in -thy, so the e before the y has to go.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. A blameworthy act is one that ____.
a) deserves a prize
b) nobody noticed
c) deserves criticism
d) was very brave
Show answer
c) deserves criticism
2. Which word is built in the same way as blameworthy, from a noun + worthy?
a) unworthy
b) worthwhile
c) praiseworthy
d) worthless
Show answer
c) praiseworthy
