mea culpas
Public self-blame statements
Mea culpas is the plural of mea culpa, a Latin phrase meaning "my fault" used as a noun for an acknowledgment of personal error or wrongdoing.
The phrase carries a tone of formal contrition: The CEO issued a series of mea culpas after the scandal broke.
Multiple admissions of guilt become mea culpas: His memoir was full of mea culpas for past behavior.
- apologyStatement acknowledging wrongdoing
- public apologyOpenly stated remorse
- I'm sorryExpression of regret
- confessionAdmission of wrongdoing
- act of contritionPrayer acknowledging wrongdoing
penitence · my bad · atonement · contrition · self-reproach · chest beating · admission · regret · acknowledgment · asking forgiveness · conscience · sob · expiation · making amends · stammer · accountability · mistakes · eating crow
mea culpasexcuses
Explanations offered for faults
deflections · blame-shifting · denials · scapegoating · finger-pointing
mea culpasdefiance
Open resistance to authority
doubling down · self-justification · brazenness · self-righteousness · non-apologies
mea culpasaccusations
Claims of fault
recriminations · blame · indictments · condemnations · reproaches
mea culpa, culpable, culpability, culprit, exculpate, exculpation, exculpatory, inculpate, inculpation