mea culpa

[mey-uh kuhl-puh, mee-uh, me-ah kool-pah] / ˈmeɪ ə ˈkʌl pə, ˈmi ə, ˈmɛ ɑ ˈkʊl pɑ /

INTERJECTION

guilt acknowledgment

Synonyms

STRONGEST

my bad my fault

NOUN

acknowledgment of responsibility

Synonyms

STRONG

apology regret

WEAK

acknowledgment of error apologia confession penance repentance

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Three months later, I published a mea culpa, in which I renounced my support for Trump and apologized for my hurtful deeds and rhetoric.

From Salon • Jun. 8, 2026

Instead, in a sign of the times that seems impossibly quaint in the harsh light of 2026, she issued a somber mea culpa.

From Slate • May 6, 2026

San Francisco-based Grammarly didn’t make things any better with a mea culpa posted on LinkedIn by its chief executive, Shishir Mehrotra.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 17, 2026

Joz, along with Federighi, delivered the mea culpa that Apple’s AI efforts so far haven’t met the company’s high quality standards.

From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 25, 2025

I'm not blaming anyone for this state of affairs, mind you; nor merely crying mea culpa.

From "Invisible Man" by Ralph Ellison

mea culpa

Example Sentences

Related Words