condemned

[kuhn-demd]

adjective

1. pronounced guilty; sentenced to punishment, especially capital punishment.

   A condemned man has the right to know how the execution will proceed.

2. deemed or declared unfit for use or service.

   One of the condemned buildings is going to be demolished to make room for luxury apartments.

3. viewed or spoken of with strong disapproval; judged as wrong or unacceptable, often formally.

   Apartheid, by universal agreement, is an inhumane, unjust, and condemned practice.

4. doomed to eternal punishment in hell; damned.

   At the Last Judgment, condemned sinners will offer excuses in vain.

noun

1. Usually the condemned

   1. the person or persons pronounced guilty in a court of law and sentenced to punishment, especially capital punishment.

      We join in prayer for the condemned, his victim, and their families.

   2. the damned.

      The condemned are those who are full of themselves and laugh at their unrighteousness.

verb

1. the simple past tense and past participle of condemn.

Other Word Forms

• self-condemned adjective
• uncondemned adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of condemned¹

condemn ( def. ) + -ed ² ( def. )

Example Sentences

In a statement released at the weekend, the club condemned the actions of some of its supporters in the city, saying it will "rigorously investigate the events".

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Yalta is the perfect cautionary tale: Stalin’s influence condemned Eastern Europe to 45 years of communist tyranny.

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“Overwhelmingly people want Israel condemned, especially in the Democratic primary. . . . ‘Bibi is a war criminal.

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He condemned "in the strongest possible terms" what he called an attempt to destabilise the country.

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Human Rights Watch has condemned the "draconian" ban on the Awami League.

Read more on Barron's

Related Words

• convicted