condemn

Valid in Scrabble

Scrabble points
12
Words With Friends
16
Letters
7
Pronunciation
/kənˈdɛm/
See all 2 pronunciations
/kənˈdɛm/ · /kənˈdɪm/

Definition of condemn

12 senses · 1 part of speech · etymology included

verb

  1. (transitive)To strongly criticise or denounce; to excoriate.
    “The president condemned the terrorists.”
    “Ignorant and ſuperſtitious wretches meaſure the actions of letterd and philoſophical men by the tattle of their nurſes or illiterate parents and companions, or by the faſhion of the country : and people of differing religions judge and condemn each other by their own tenents ; when both of them cannot be in the right, and it is well if either of them are.”
See all 12 definitions

verb

  1. (transitive)To strongly criticise or denounce; to excoriate.
    “The president condemned the terrorists.”
    “Ignorant and ſuperſtitious wretches meaſure the actions of letterd and philoſophical men by the tattle of their nurſes or illiterate parents and companions, or by the faſhion of the country : and people of differing religions judge and condemn each other by their own tenents ; when both of them cannot be in the right, and it is well if either of them are.”
  2. (transitive)To judicially pronounce (someone) guilty.
  3. (transitive)To judicially announce a verdict upon a finding of guilt; To sentence
    “The judge condemned him to death.”
    “She was condemned to life in prison.”
  4. (transitive)To confer eternal divine punishment upon.
  5. (figuratively, transitive)To destine to experience bad circumstances; to doom.
    “Too many people are condemned to a life of poverty.”
  6. (transitive)To declare something to be unfit for use, or further use.
    “There was a massive slaughter of W.R. steam power at the conclusion of the summer timetable. In all, 169 locomotives were condemned.”
  7. (transitive)To declare something to be unfit for use, or further use.
    “The house was condemned after it was badly damaged by fire.”
  8. (transitive)To declare something to be unfit for use, or further use.
  9. (transitive)To declare something to be unfit for use, or further use.
  10. (transitive)To declare something to be unfit for use, or further use.
  11. (transitive)To determine and declare (property) to be assigned to public use. See eminent domain.
  12. (transitive)To declare (a vessel) to be forfeited to the government or to be a prize.

Definitions from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA.

Etymology

From Middle English condempnen, from Old French condamner, from Latin condemnāre (“to sentence, condemn, blame”), from com- + damnāre (“to harm, condemn, damn”), from damnum (“damage, injury, loss”). Displaced native Middle English fordemen (from Old English fordeman (“condemn, sentence, doom”) > Modern English fordeem.

Hooks

1 extension · 1 back

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