condemn
Americanverb (used with object)
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condemns,
present (3rd person singular)
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condemned,
past participle, past
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condemning
present participle
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to express an unfavorable or adverse judgment on; indicate strong disapproval of; censure.
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to pronounce to be guilty; sentence to punishment.
to condemn a murderer to life imprisonment.
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to give grounds or reason for convicting or censuring.
His acts condemn him.
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to judge or pronounce to be unfit for use or service.
to condemn an old building.
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U.S. Law. to acquire ownership of for a public purpose, under the right of eminent domain.
The city condemned the property.
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to force into a specific state or activity.
His lack of education condemned him to a life of menial jobs.
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to doom to eternal punishment in hell.
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to declare incurable.
verb
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to express strong disapproval of; censure
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to pronounce judicial sentence on
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to demonstrate the guilt of
his secretive behaviour condemned him
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to judge or pronounce unfit for use
that food has been condemned
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to compel or force into a particular state or activity
his disposition condemned him to boredom
Synonym Usage
See blame.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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condemnationnoun
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condemnernoun
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condemnornoun
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recondemnverb (used with object)
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condemnableadjective
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self-condemningadjective
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uncondemnableadjective
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uncondemningadjective
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condemnablyadverb
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condemninglyadverb
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uncondemninglyadverb
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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condemnsimple
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condemnssimple
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have condemnedperfect
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has condemnedperfect
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am condemningprogressive
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are condemningprogressive
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is condemningprogressive
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have been condemningperfect progressive
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has been condemningperfect progressive
Past
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condemnedsimple
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had condemnedperfect
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was condemningprogressive
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were condemningprogressive
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had been condemningperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of condemn
First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English condempnen, from Anglo-French, Old French condem(p)ner, from Latin condemnāre; see con-, damn
Explanation
You can condemn, or openly criticize, someone who is behaving inappropriately. If you are an animal rights activist, you would probably condemn someone for wearing fur. Condemn originally comes, through Old French, from the Latin word condemnāre, "to sentence, condemn." You may see politicians condemn each other in political ads during a campaign in hopes of improving their chances of winning an election. You also might hear of a convict being "condemned to death." In this sense of the word, to condemn still carries on its Latin meaning of "to sentence."
Vocabulary lists containing condemn
List 3
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The Silent Treatment: Words Plagued by Silent Letters
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"Romeo and Juliet" by William Shakespeare, Act V
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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.
See Examples For:
Most Israelis condemn this behavior, but negative attitudes toward Christianity have become more common, particularly among young people, surveys show.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 2, 2026
Violence is shaped by social norms, power dynamics and the behaviors that institutions reward, tolerate or condemn.
From Salon ● Jul. 18, 2026
Asked by CNN whether he would condemn the group and what they stand for, and whether he would urge President Donald Trump to do the same, Burgum couched his language carefully.
From Barron's ● Jul. 5, 2026
“We unequivocally condemn antisemitism, racism, and all forms of hate, discrimination, and intolerance,” the statement said, according to a Fresno-based Fox affiliate.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 18, 2026
No one would condemn her for studying such a useful creature.
From "The Girl Who Drew Butterflies: How Maria Merian's Art Changed Science" by Joyce Sidman
Hamawy has said he condemns Abdel-Rahman’s violent rhetoric and actions and that he had no contact with the cleric after his arrest.
From Slate ● Jul. 14, 2026
Weeks before the elections, Meloni released videos in multiple languages saying the Italian right “unambiguously” condemns the fascist regime’s suppression of democracy and antisemitic policies.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 27, 2026
"The decision to uphold the government's appeal is a bitter blow to victims and condemns them to further delays for the truth," said its Northern Ireland deputy director, Gráinne Teggart.
From BBC ● May 7, 2026
Grant has been a well-established critic of the Fed’s propensity to tolerate inflation for some time and in particular he condemns the purchasing power that has been lost since 2020, because of the Fed’s policies.
From MarketWatch ● Apr. 14, 2026
It is that which condemns the tragic character to his walking death.
From "The Once and Future King" by T. H. White
South Africa condemned the visit and raised a formal diplomatic protest about it with Morocco.
From BBC ● Aug. 5, 2026
As a professor of classics at the University of Pennsylvania, she’ll be on the front line of academics condemned to unteach Nolan’s heavily altered screenplay to students who will arrive quoting it chapter and verse.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 4, 2026
Jordanian officials have condemned Iranian missile and drone attacks as violations of the kingdom’s sovereignty, stressing that Jordan will defend its airspace and protect its citizens.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 3, 2026
Democrats and Republicans alike swiftly condemned him, and his own party rightly pushed him to drop out of the race.
From Slate ● Aug. 3, 2026
I wasn't prepared to meet a condemned man.
From "Just Mercy" by Bryan Stevenson
German politicians were swift to react to the attack, with Berlin's Mayor Kai Wegner condemning a "brutal attack" on "a gathering for a tolerant and peaceful Berlin".
From Barron's ● Jul. 26, 2026
We hear an excerpt from a review by William Logan, poetry’s dean of critical defenestration, condemning her work for its pretty plainness.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 2, 2026
In the statement condemning the attack against Isak, Ghana said "taking of any life is unacceptable, and those responsible must be brought to justice without delay".
From BBC ● Jul. 2, 2026
Every time the narrative comes close to truly condemning children’s access to devices, the movie pulls back in fear of isolating or angering the audience.
From Salon ● Jun. 21, 2026
He released sincere public statements deploring the shooting and condemning it as evil.
From "Ambushed!" by Gail Jarrow
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.
