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

Explanation

Use accursed to describe something that's under a curse or spell — or just seems like it is. You might call your car accursed if it keeps mysteriously dying in the middle of the road for no apparent reason. An accursed house might be haunted by a spirit or under an evil spell, or you might describe it as accursed if unexplained things happen in it. You can also use the adjective simply to describe something you're angry about: "This accursed town! I can't wait to move to California!" In the 13th century, the word was acursede, "lying under a curse," from the now-obsolete acursen, "pronounce a curse upon."

Example Sentences

It’s worth noting that such skepticism doesn’t always translate into a business decision to avoid the accursed investment.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 27, 2024

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

From Seattle Times • Mar. 3, 2022

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

From Salon • Oct. 25, 2020

“Hattie, if I could use a pen as you can,” wrote Isabella Jones Beecher, “I would write something that will make this whole nation feel what an accursed thing slavery is.”

From Textbooks • Jan. 18, 2018

He had not seen them bringing the girl in, but then he hadn't spent the whole day watching that accursed village.

From "Inkheart" by Cornelia Funke