“guilty”

Deserving blame or censure for a fault or wrongdoing.

“The culpable executive tried to shrug off responsibility, but the evidence was damning.”

Best for: Works well in legal, journalistic, or formal written contexts.

Feeling deep regret and anguish over a wrong one has committed.

“She stood remorseful at the threshold, unable to meet her mother's eyes.”

Best for: Best when emphasizing emotional weight rather than legal guilt.

Implicated or charged with wrongdoing; made to appear guilty.

“The inculpated minister resigned before the tribunal could formally convene.”

Best for: Strong in legal thrillers, courtroom drama, or investigative journalism.

Tormented by an acute sense of having done something morally wrong.

“Conscience-stricken, he returned the money before dawn broke over the city.”

Best for: Ideal for literary fiction where internal moral conflict drives the narrative.

Sincerely and deeply sorry for one's sins or wrongdoings.

“His contrite confession moved even the harshest judge in the room.”

Best for: Slightly formal; fits confessional, religious, or emotionally intimate writing.

Actually guilty of a crime; the direct antonym of innocent.

“The nocent man sat calmly while his lawyers argued otherwise.”

Best for: Extremely rare and archaic; powerful precisely because it inverts the familiar word innocent.