accursed
Americanadjective
-
under or subject to a curse; doomed
-
(prenominal) hateful; detestable; execrable
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of accursed
First recorded before 1000; Middle English acursed, Old English ācursod, past participle of ācursian; see 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."
Vocabulary lists containing accursed
Romeo and Juliet
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"The Tragedy of Macbeth," Vocabulary from Act 3
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Chapter 20: Renaissance and Reformation
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Encouraging us to shift our gaze from the wall to our devices — to assume that accursed downward tilt of the neck when splendors abound before our eyes — is simply detrimental.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 22, 2026
Even the most accursed teams have next season.
From Salon ● Oct. 15, 2022
It is “at once an accursed and a sacred place,” American Jewish Committee CEO David Harris said.
From Seattle Times ● Mar. 3, 2022
That sounded apt for a planet of accursed and hurled clubs, but it didn’t fit Thursday at Royal St. George’s, where almost everybody liked their club faces.
From Washington Post ● Jul. 15, 2021
Now I’ve got this sickening blend of shock/bewilderment/fear/fury/frustration whipping around in my gut because all I can see is that accursed Carl’s Carnival picture of our unbroken family.
From "Odd One Out" by Nic Stone
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
