blame

A2 Topic:Ethics & Social Judgment

US /bleɪm/ See IPA manual

noun verb Freq #1147

Meanings

1

verb
To say or think that someone or something is the cause of something bad.

The student driver was blamed for the accident.
2

noun
Responsibility for something bad that has happened.

They took the blame for the broken window.
3

noun
Words that criticize someone for doing something wrong.

Blame came at her from all directions.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 verb · to say or think that... charge fault

2 noun · responsibility for... rap

3 noun · words that criticize... censure criticism condemnation

More accuseatwitebumble challenge decry defame denounce finger inculpate patronizeshend

Opposites

absolve acquit disculpate forgive

Word family

Forms blamedblamesblaming

Derived forms blamable blameableblamefulblamelessblamerblameshiftblamesmanshipblamestormblameworthyblameydad-blamedmisblame

Related forms criticize fault praise scapegoat

Common collocations

blame the victim Verb + noun

Etymology

From Middle English blamen, borrowed from Old French blasmer, from Late Latin blasphēmāre (“to reproach, to revile”), from Ancient Greek βλασφημέω (blasphēméō). Compare blaspheme, a doublet. Overtook common use from the native wite (“to blame, accuse, reproach, suspect”) (from Middle English wīten, from Old English wītan).

blamen Middle English blasmer Old French blasphēmo la-lat βλασφημέω Ancient Greek

View etymology graph ->

Topics

Ethics & Social Judgment

# blame

**Type:** Word
**Level:** A2
**Part of speech:** noun, verb
**IPA (US):** bleɪm
**Frequency rank:** 1147

## Meanings
1. To say or think that someone or something is the cause of something bad.
2. Responsibility for something bad that has happened.
3. Words that criticize someone for doing something wrong.

## Examples
- The student driver was blamed for the accident.
- They took the blame for the broken window.
- Blame came at her from all directions.

## Synonyms
- accuse
- atwite
- bumble
- challenge
- decry
- defame
- denounce
- fault
- finger
- inculpate
- patronize
- shend

## Antonyms
- absolve
- acquit
- disculpate
- forgive

## Derived Forms
- blamable
- blameable
- blameful
- blameless
- blamer
- blameshift
- blamesmanship
- blamestorm
- blameworthy
- blamey
- dad-blamed
- misblame

## Related Forms
- criticize
- fault
- praise
- scapegoat

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: blamen
- Root: blasmer
- Root: blasphēmo
- Root: βλασφημέω

## Etymology
From Middle English blamen, borrowed from Old French blasmer, from Late Latin blasphēmāre (“to reproach, to revile”), from Ancient Greek βλασφημέω (blasphēméō). Compare blaspheme, a doublet. Overtook common use from the native wite (“to blame, accuse, reproach, suspect”) (from Middle English wīten, from Old English wītan).

## AI Etymology
Blame comes from Middle English blamen, borrowed from Old French blasmer, from Late Latin blasphēmāre (“to reproach, to revile”), from Ancient Greek βλασφημέω (blasphēméō). Compare blaspheme, a doublet. Overtook common use from the native wite (“to blame, accuse, reproach, suspect”) (from Middle English wīten, from Old English wītan).

## Topics
- Ethics & Social Judgment

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