A plea by a defendant who does not contest a charge.
"After his lawyer advised him that pleading guilty would result in a lighter sentence, he entered a guilty plea to the theft charges without arguing against them."
In plain English: A guilty person is someone who has done something wrong and is responsible for it.
"He felt guilty for lying to his mother."
Usage: Do not use "guilty" as a noun; it is an adjective describing someone who has committed a crime or admitted to one. If you need the term for a formal legal plea where a defendant does not contest a charge, use the word "guilty plea" instead.
responsible for or chargeable with a reprehensible act
"guilty of murder"
"the guilty person"
"secret guilty deeds"
showing a sense of guilt
"a guilty look"
"the hangdog and shamefaced air of the retreating enemy"
Responsible for a dishonest act.
"The detective presented evidence that made it impossible to deny he was guilty of embezzling funds from his own company."
In plain English: Guilty means you did something wrong and are responsible for it.
"She felt guilty for forgetting to call her mother."
Usage: Use "guilty" to describe someone who has committed a crime or done something wrong that they admit to or are proven responsible for. Avoid using it to mean merely suspicious or suspected unless there is actual evidence of the act.
The word guilty comes from the Old English term gyltig, which originally meant "offending." It entered modern usage as a direct evolution of that ancient root combined with the suffix -y.