Synonyms

condemned

American

[kuhn-demd] / kənˈdɛmd /

adjective

pronounced guilty; sentenced to punishment, especially capital punishment.

A condemned man has the right to know how the execution will proceed.
deemed or declared unfit for use or service.

One of the condemned buildings is going to be demolished to make room for luxury apartments.
viewed or spoken of with strong disapproval; judged as wrong or unacceptable, often formally.

Apartheid, by universal agreement, is an inhumane, unjust, and condemned practice.
doomed to eternal punishment in hell; damned.

At the Last Judgment, condemned sinners will offer excuses in vain.

noun

Usually the condemned
1. the person or persons pronounced guilty in a court of law and sentenced to punishment, especially capital punishment.
  
  We join in prayer for the condemned, his victim, and their families.
2. the damned.
  
  The condemned are those who are full of themselves and laugh at their unrighteousness.

verb

the simple past tense and past participle of condemn.

Other Word Forms

Etymology

Origin of condemned

condemn ( def. ) + -ed ² ( def. )

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.

Bill Clinton condemned the attack "in the strongest terms," and the United Nations Security Council condemned the use of weapons against civilian aircraft in flight.

From BBC • May 20, 2026

Yet O’Connor condemned RIH’s move as an underhanded gambit to “circumvent” his authority, as though he alone had a claim to litigate this dispute and McElroy was an impudent interloper.

From Slate • May 19, 2026

Secretary of State Marco Rubio condemned the crackdown and demanded China let the pastor go.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 19, 2026

Human rights groups have condemned the agency for its conduct during raids in several US cities, including Los Angeles last year.

From Barron's • May 18, 2026

In states like Louisiana, Alabama, Mississippi, and Arkansas, there were hundreds of people whose cases were affected by the recent decisions, but no lawyers were available to assist these condemned juvenile lifers.

From "Just Mercy" by Bryan Stevenson

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023