condemned

American  

[kuhn-demd] / kənˈdɛmd /

adjective

1. pronounced guilty; sentenced to punishment, especially capital punishment.

   A condemned man has the right to know how the execution will proceed.

2. deemed or declared unfit for use or service.

   One of the condemned buildings is going to be demolished to make room for luxury apartments.

3. 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.

4. doomed to eternal punishment in hell; damned.

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

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noun

1. 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

1. the simple past tense and past participle of condemn.

Other Word Forms

• self-condemned adjective
• uncondemned adjective

Etymology

Origin of condemned

condemn ( def. ) + -ed ² ( def. )

Example Sentences

The strike in Karaj and Trump's comments were also condemned by hardline, pro-establishment Iranians on social media.

From BBC • Apr. 3, 2026

Freeman's family have condemned his actions and have been closely watched by police during the manhunt; his wife was reportedly shocked by Monday's news, having thought he was already dead.

From BBC • Apr. 3, 2026

After all, every one of us is condemned to death.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 2, 2026

The 70-year-old US-born pope has so far shown diplomatic caution and has not directly condemned his home country's role in the turbulent Middle East region.

From Barron's • Apr. 1, 2026

I was the condemned young aristocrat holding my head high in the tumbrel.

From "The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate" by Jacqueline Kelly

Related Words

• convicted