denounce
[dih-nouns]
- to condemn or censure openly or publicly: to denounce a politician as morally corrupt.
- to make a formal accusation against, as to the police or in a court.
- to give formal notice of the termination or denial of (a treaty, pact, agreement, or the like).
- Archaic. to announce or proclaim, especially as something evil or calamitous.
- Obsolete. to portend.
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Origin of denounce
1250–1300; Middle English denouncen < Old French denoncier to speak out < Latin dēnuntiāre to threaten (dē- de- + nuntiāre to announce, derivative of nuntius messenger)
Synonyms
See more synonyms for on Thesaurus.comAntonyms
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Related Words
prosecute, criticize, rebuke, brand, excoriate, scold, castigate, boycott, blame, decry, revile, censure, accuse, threaten, vilify, stigmatize, impeach, vituperate, incriminate, ratExamples from the Web for denounce
Contemporary Examples
Did he denounce the involvement of organized crime in the abduction and disappearance of 43 students in the nearby city of Iguala?
Today, former TNR writers and the rest of the media establishment are racing to denounce Hughes.
The Rise and Fall of Chris Hughes and Sean Eldridge, America’s Worst Gay Power CoupleJames Kirchick
December 9, 2014
In the hours before his arrest, Choudary took to Twitter to denounce airstrikes against ISIS.
Another faction says why should we denounce people who we have zero connection with?
When he attacked “bosses” and “political machines,” he made sure to denounce “demagogues” and “fanatics” in the next sentence.
Historical Examples
And had not I, unworthy and far-removed from them, sin to denounce?
Little DorritCharles Dickens
I denounce this person as a liar, and impeach him as a coward.
The Life And Adventures Of Nicholas NicklebyCharles Dickens
It is absurd to denounce the majority of mankind as below the average of mankind.
Alarms and DiscursionsG. K. Chesterton
In which country did they denounce the preparations for the conflict, or the incentives of the conflict?
Mountain MeditationsL. Lind-af-Hageby
Thus, the wife was made to denounce the husband, the son the father, and the friend the friend.
Roman Catholicism in SpainAnonymous
denounce
- to deplore or condemn openly or vehemently
- to give information against; accuse
- to announce formally the termination of (a treaty, etc)
- obsolete
- to announce (something evil)
- to portend
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Word Origin
C13: from Old French denoncier to proclaim, from Latin dēnuntiāre to make an official proclamation, threaten, from de- + nuntiāre to announce
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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Word Origin and History for denounce
v.
early 14c., "announce," from Old French denoncier (12c., Modern French dénoncer), from Latin denuntiare "to announce, proclaim; denounce, menace; command, order," from de- "down" + nuntiare "proclaim, announce," from nuntius "messenger" (see nuncio). Negative sense in English via meaning "to declare or proclaim" something as cursed, excommunicated, forgiven, removed from office. Related: Denounced; denouncing.
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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper