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.
Judge Talwani still saw the law as a bill of attainder.
From Slate ● Jul. 29, 2025
A bill of attainder is a law that convicts or punishes someone for a crime without a trial, a tactic used fairly frequently in England against the king’s enemies.
From Textbooks ● Jul. 28, 2021
A bill of attainder is an unconstitutional legislative act that singles out an individual or group for punishment without a trial.
From Fox News ● Apr. 8, 2019
There are two other constitutional questions: First, the Constitution prohibits bills of attainder, laws that target specific individuals.
From Slate ● Apr. 17, 2018
On the death of the sisters the Sheriffwick became vested in Robert de Clifford, son and heir of the eldest, and continued in the possession of his descendants until the attainder in 1461.
From Bygone Cumberland and Westmorland by Daniel Scott
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.
