noun
-
the act of damning or state of being damned
-
a cause or instance of being damned
interjection
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of damnation
1250–1300; Middle English dam ( p ) nacioun < Old French damnation < Latin damnātiōn- (stem of damnātiō ), equivalent to damnāt ( us ) (past participle of damnāre; see damn, -ate 1) + -iōn- -ion
Explanation
Damnation is the act of damning, which is a lot like condemning. Damnation dooms people. In many religious traditions, when someone is damned, it means they are doomed to suffer horribly in hell forever. Damnation, therefore, is the action of sending someone to hell. However, this word can refer to other forms of being condemned. Being sentenced to prison is a type of damnation. Being disgraced in public is a type of damnation. Anything that dooms you is damnation of a sort. Often, damnation comes from our own actions.
Vocabulary lists containing damnation
"The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet," Vocabulary from Act 3
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
Good Masters! Sweet Ladies! Voices from a Medieval Village
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
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.
It’s a song about a ne’er-do-well who can’t help messing up, and Mr. Kahan wishes the best for him—hoping his greatest fears are earthly threats like personal safety and cancer and not eternal damnation.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 28, 2026
RN was regarded as beyond the pale, so the centre-right faced hell and damnation on the few occasions it joined them in a tacit arrangement to keep out the left.
From BBC ● Mar. 16, 2026
It’s like a chemical cocktail of frustration, elation, inspiration, damnation — everything with an “-ation” on it.
From Seattle Times ● Dec. 26, 2023
But history shows no television strategy can survive eternal ratings damnation.
From New York Times ● Jun. 8, 2023
The daughters march behind her, four girls compressed in bodies as tight as bowstrings, each one tensed to fire off a woman’s heart on a different path to glory or damnation.
From "The Poisonwood Bible" by Barbara Kingsolver
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.
