Basic Details
Word: Culprit
Part of Speech: Noun
Meaning: A person who is responsible for a crime or other misdeed.
Synonyms: Offender, wrongdoer, criminal, perpetrator
Antonyms: Victim, innocent, law-abiding citizen
Idioms and Phrases
- Find the real culprit: To discover who is truly responsible for something wrong. Example: "It took days to find the real culprit behind the network breach."
- Usual suspect: A person who is often blamed or expected to be guilty. Example: "When the printer jammed, Tom was the usual suspect."
Usage Examples
Example 1: The police caught the culprit within hours of the robbery.
Example 2: After checking all the systems, the IT team found the culprit causing the error.
Example 3: The real culprit behind the missing money turned out to be a software glitch.
Fun Fact
The word "culprit" comes from a combination of two old legal terms: "culpable" (meaning guilty) and the abbreviation "prit" from the Anglo-French word for "ready." In court, "Culprit" was used to declare that the accused was ready to be tried.
Famous Quote
"It is better to risk saving a guilty person than to condemn an innocent one." Voltaire
Multiple Choice Questions (MCQs)
1. What does "culprit" mean?
a) A type of job
b) A victim of a crime
c) A person responsible for a misdeed or crime
d) A law or rule
Answer: c) A person responsible for a misdeed or crime
2. Which of these is a synonym of "culprit"?
a) Victim
b) Criminal
c) Judge
d) Observer
Answer: b) Criminal
3. Which is an antonym of "culprit"?
a) Offender
b) Perpetrator
c) Innocent
d) Wrongdoer
Answer: c) Innocent
4. Which sentence uses "culprit" correctly?
a) The culprit was awarded for his honesty.
b) The culprit gave a motivational speech.
c) The culprit was identified after the investigation.
d) The culprit saved the day by solving the case.
Answer: c) The culprit was identified after the investigation.
5. What does the phrase "usual suspect" mean?
a) A person always praised
b) A regular police officer
c) A commonly blamed person
d) An innocent bystander
Answer: c) A commonly blamed person
