attainder
Americannoun
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the legal consequence of judgment of death or outlawry for treason or felony, involving the loss of all civil rights.
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Obsolete. dishonor.
noun
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(formerly) the extinction of a person's civil rights resulting from a sentence of death or outlawry on conviction for treason or felony See also bill of attainder
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obsolete dishonour
Etymology
Origin of attainder
First recorded in 1425–75; late Middle English attaynder, atteindor, noun use of Old French ataindre, ateindre “to attain, touch (upon), affect, convict”; see origin at attain
Vocabulary lists containing attainder
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.
And the Supreme Court may not see this law as a bill of attainder either.
From Slate ● Jul. 29, 2025
And as for a retroactive attainder aimed at the descendants of slave owners, that one is pretty tricky, too.
From Fox News ● Aug. 19, 2019
The denial of the power to pass bills of attainder is both a protection of individual freedom and one of the Constitution’s several provisions for separation of powers.
From Textbooks ● Jan. 1, 2016
Their employing agencies complied with this direction even though it seemed in conflict with the Constitution's prohibition on "bills of attainder."
From Slate ● Feb. 28, 2011
Fenwick's attainder, and the theory of standing armies—purple patches in the way of exposition—are trifles compared with questions which jurists, divines, economists have to discuss.
From Letters of Lord Acton To Mary, Daughter of the Right Hon. W. E. Gladstone by Acton, John Emerich Edward Dalberg Acton, Baron
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.
