What does guilty mean?
Word: Guilty
Part of Speech: Adjective
Meaning: Guilty means having done something wrong, or feeling bad inside because you know you did something wrong.
Synonyms: ashamed, to blame
How do you spell guilty?
Syllables: guilt - y
Tricky part: There is a silent u after the g, just as in guitar and guard. It is easy to drop it, or to swap the u and the i.
Watch out for: giulty, guilthy, gulty
Memory tip: Say it in your head as g-U-I-lty: U and I both did something wrong, so U and I both feel guilty.
Idioms and Phrases
- a guilty conscience: a bad feeling inside after doing something wrong Example: "Adam's guilty conscience made him return the extra change to the shopkeeper."
Guilty in a sentence
Example 1: I felt guilty for not helping Mum carry the shopping bags up the stairs.
Example 2: Noah felt guilty when he forgot his best friend's birthday.
Example 3: Riya gave her brother a guilty look when the cake went missing.
Fun Fact
The word guilt goes back to the Old English word gylt, which meant a fault or a wrong act.
Practise the CREST Way
Word Connection
Choose the antonym of the word:
guilty
a) fearful
b) sorry
c) innocent
d) blameworthy
Show answer
c) innocent. An innocent person has done nothing wrong, the exact opposite of a guilty one.
Word Makeup
Choose the suffix that completes the word:
guilt
a) ey
b) y
c) ee
d) ie
Show answer
b) y. Guilt + y works like dirt + y: no extra vowel goes in before the y.
Word Cookie
Find the misspelt word in the sentence:
The puppy looked guilty after chewing up my new sliper.
a) puppy
b) guilty
c) sliper
d) chewing
Show answer
c) sliper. Slipper has a double p, just like puppy.
Spell-o-Spell
Choose the correctly spelt word:
a) guilty
b) ashamd
c) embarassed
d) nervus
Show answer
a) guilty. Ashamed, nervous and embarrassed have each lost a letter here, so guilty is the one spelt right.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. Riya feels guilty. Which of these most likely happened?
a) The rain spoiled the match.
b) She ate her brother's sweets.
c) Her cousin got a new bicycle.
d) She won the school art prize.
Show answer
b) She ate her brother's sweets.
2. Meena felt guilty ____ breaking her sister's pencil.
a) with
b) to
c) at
d) about
Show answer
d) about
