Meaning & use
inculpation
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Meaning
noununcountableformallegal
The act of showing or saying that someone is at fault or guilty of a wrong.
Grammar: Usually has no plural or article: the evidence led to inculpation, not an inculpation.
Patterns
- inculpation of someone
- inculpation for something
The documents pointed to the inculpation of two senior managers.
He feared that his own words would lead to his inculpation.
The lawyer argued that the evidence did not support inculpation.
Word forms
| plural | inculpations |
|---|
Common combinations
- inculpation of someone
- The report avoided the inculpation of junior staff.
- lead to inculpation
- A single careless email can lead to inculpation.
- evidence of inculpation
- There was little evidence of inculpation in the file.
- fear inculpation
- Witnesses sometimes fear inculpation if they speak.
Synonyms and how they differ
- incrimination
- Incrimination is the more common word and usually suggests evidence that links someone to a crime, while inculpation is broader and rarer.
- accusation
- An accusation is a claim of fault that may be false, whereas inculpation often implies the fault is shown.
- blame
- Blame is everyday and informal, and does not need a legal setting.
Opposites
Word family
- inculpate verb
- to show that someone is at fault
- inculpatory adjective
- tending to show guilt
- exculpate verb
- to clear someone of blame
- culpable adjective
- deserving blame
Commonly confused: inculpation or exculpation?
inculpation vs exculpation
Exculpation is the reverse: clearing someone of blame. The prefixes in- and ex- are the only difference, so check them carefully.
Practice
The lawyer feared that the new message would lead to the ____ of her client.
Choose one answer.
Inculpation means showing that someone is at fault, which fits a worry about a client. Exculpation would mean clearing the client, which is the opposite.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “inculpation”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.