culprit

/ˈkʌlprɪt/
noun
  1. A person who is responsible for a crime or wrongdoing.
    • The culprit confessed to breaking the window during the game.
    • After investigating, they found the culprit behind the graffiti on the wall.
    • The police arrested the culprit who stole the bicycle.
  2. The cause of a problem or difficulty.
    • The main culprit for the engine failure was a loose wire.
    • The culprit for the bad smell was a forgotten carton of milk in the fridge.
    • Too much sugar is often the culprit behind weight gain.
Antonyms
What does "culprit" mean? | whatsthatwordmean | whatsthatwordmean