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

Arsenal's spectacular win condemned the Foxes to a relegation play-off, while it closed the gap on the leaders to eight points and boosted the Gunners' goal difference.

From BBC • Apr. 29, 2026

West Africa's regional bloc, Ecowas, similarly condemned the attacks.

From BBC • Apr. 26, 2026

The top three candidates vying to replace Petro in next month’s vote swiftly condemned the attacks and pledged to rein in the violence.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 26, 2026

United Nations chief Antonio Guterres condemned "acts of violence" in Mali.

From Barron's • Apr. 26, 2026

In their broken state, they were judged and condemned by people whose commitment to fairness had been broken by cynicism, hopelessness, and prejudice.

From "Just Mercy" by Bryan Stevenson

Related Words

• convicted