condemn

[kuhn-dem]

See more synonyms for condemn on Thesaurus.com

verb (used with object)

to express an unfavorable or adverse judgment on; indicate strong disapproval of; censure.
to pronounce to be guilty; sentence to punishment: to condemn a murderer to life imprisonment.
to give grounds or reason for convicting or censuring: His acts condemn him.

to judge or pronounce to be unfit for use or service: to condemn an old building.
U.S. Law. to acquire ownership of for a public purpose, under the right of eminent domain: The city condemned the property.
to force into a specific state or activity: His lack of education condemned him to a life of menial jobs.
to declare incurable.

Origin of condemn

1350–1400; Middle English condempnen < Anglo-French, Old French condem(p)ner < Latin condemnāre. See con-, damn

Related formscon·dem·na·ble

[kuhn-dem-nuh-buhl] /kənˈdɛm nə bəl/, adjectivecon·dem·na·bly, adverbcon·demn·er

[kuhn-dem-er] /kənˈdɛm ər/, con·dem·nor

[kuhn-dem-er, kuhn-dem-nawr] /kənˈdɛm ər, kən dɛmˈnɔr/, nouncon·demn·ing·ly, adverbre·con·demn, verb (used with object)self-con·demned, adjectiveself-con·demn·ing, adjectiveun·con·dem·na·ble, adjectiveun·con·demned, adjectiveun·con·demn·ing, adjectiveun·con·demn·ing·ly, adverb

Can be confusedblame censure condemn (see synonym study at blame)condemn contemn

Synonyms for condemn

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1. See blame.

Antonyms for condemn

2. exonerate, liberate.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words for condemned

convicted, doomed, damned, fated

Examples from the Web for condemned

Contemporary Examples of condemned

The scheme has been condemned by civil liberties groups and queried by the National Association of Head Teachers.
Britain May Spy on Preschoolers Searching for Potential Jihadis
Nico Hines
January 7, 2015
The group might have condemned violence while still maintaining an adversarial relationship with the police force.
De Blasio and the New York City Protesters Have No Blood on Their Hands
Jacob Siegel
December 22, 2014
I asked if it was hard carrying a name like his in a land that had condemned his father as the worst kind of traitor.
The Life and Hard Times Of The Family A Cuban Defector Left Behind
Brin-Jonathan Butler
December 19, 2014
This approach should not be condemned; it should be expanded upon.
We Need More Ferguson-style Grand Juries
Kaimipono Wenger
November 30, 2014
House Speaker John Boehner condemned the remark, but the damage was done.
The Republican Rainbow Coalition Is Real
Tim Mak
November 18, 2014

Historical Examples of condemned

Besides, he condemned the continuance of the war duties in times of peace.
The Grand Old Man
Richard B. Cook
The policy of excluding the coasting trade from the measure he also condemned.
The Grand Old Man
Richard B. Cook
But he felt troubled; he was condemned, and it was the world's voice which had condemned him.
Tiverton Tales
Alice Brown
So fair, so innocent a victim shall not be condemned to that living tomb.
Calderon The Courtier
Edward Bulwer-Lytton
Adams then said, "He hoped he should not be condemned unheard."
Joseph Andrews Vol. 1
Henry Fielding

British Dictionary definitions for condemned

condemn

verb (tr)

to express strong disapproval of; censure
to pronounce judicial sentence on
to demonstrate the guilt ofhis secretive behaviour condemned him
to judge or pronounce unfit for usethat food has been condemned
to compel or force into a particular state or activityhis disposition condemned him to boredom

Derived Formscondemnable (kənˈdɛməbəl), adjectivecondemnably, adverbcondemnation, nouncondemner, nouncondemningly, adverb

Word Origin for condemn

C13: from Old French condempner, from Latin condemnāre, from damnāre to condemn; see damn

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for condemned

adj.

1540s, "found guilty, at fault," past participle adjective from condemn. Of property, "found unfit for use," from 1798.

condemn

early 14c., condempner "to blame, censure," from Old French condamner "to condemn" (11c.), from Latin condemnare "to sentence, doom, blame, disapprove," from com-, intensive prefix (see com-), + damnare "to harm, damage" (see damn). Replaced Old English fordeman. Related: Condemned; condemning.