accursed

American  

[uh-kur-sid, uh-kurst] / əˈkɜr sɪd, əˈkɜrst /

Also accurst

adjective

1. under a curse; doomed; ill-fated.

2. damnable; detestable.

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accursed British  

/ əˈkɜːst, əˈkɜːst, əˈkɜːsɪdlɪ, əˈkɜːsɪd /

adjective

1. under or subject to a curse; doomed

2. (prenominal) hateful; detestable; execrable

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Other Word Forms

• accursedly adverb
• accursedness noun

Etymology

Origin of accursed

First recorded before 1000; Middle English acursed, Old English ācursod, past participle of ācursian; a- ³, curse

Example Sentences

Every time prep comes back, I’m seduced by the tidy clothes, the accursed manners and the sense of authority that comes with all of it.

From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 9, 2022

It is “at once an accursed and a sacred place,” American Jewish Committee CEO David Harris said.

From Seattle Times • Mar. 3, 2022

Ross points out that the composer himself appears to have invented that key object of modern fantasy, the accursed ring of unimaginable power.

From Washington Post • Nov. 3, 2020

Perhaps like those other accursed malefactors, you will refuse responsibility.

From Salon • Oct. 25, 2020

Adults are particularly accursed when they try to estimate other people’s knowledge and skills.

From "The Sense of Style" by Steven Pinker