blame

A2 Topic:Ethics & Social Judgment

US /bleɪm/ See IPA manual

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.

Verb forms

Verb forms are not available for this word yet.

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

Appears in

Phrases (1)

See all

blame the victim
to hold the person who was harmed responsible for what happened to them

Verb + noun

Proverbs (1)

See all

You can't blame a guy for trying

Simplified etymology

Blame entered Middle English from Old French blamer or blasmer. The French forms came from a popular Latin variant of ecclesiastical Latin blasphemare “to reproach, revile, or blaspheme,” ultimately from Greek blasphēmein.

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

External links

# blame

**Type:** Word
**Level:** A2
**Part of speech:** verb, noun
**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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