denounce

[dih-nouns]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR denounce ON THESAURUS.COM

verb (used with object), de·nounced, de·nounc·ing.

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.

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)

Related formsde·nounce·ment, nounde·nounc·er, nounun·de·nounced, adjective

Can be confuseddenounce renounce

Synonyms for denounce

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR denounce ON THESAURUS.COM

1. attack, stigmatize, blame, brand.

Antonyms for denounce

1. praise, commend.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for denounce

prosecute, criticize, rebuke, brand, excoriate, scold, castigate, boycott, blame, decry, revile, censure, accuse, threaten, vilify, stigmatize, impeach, vituperate, incriminate, rat

Examples from the Web for denounce

Contemporary Examples of denounce

Did he denounce the involvement of organized crime in the abduction and disappearance of 43 students in the nearby city of Iguala?
Mexico’s Priests Are Marked for Murder
Jason McGahan
January 7, 2015
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 Couple
James Kirchick
December 9, 2014
In the hours before his arrest, Choudary took to Twitter to denounce airstrikes against ISIS.
Britain’s Counter-Terror Raids: The End of Londonistan?
Nico Hines
September 25, 2014
Another faction says why should we denounce people who we have zero connection with?
Why Muslims Hate Terrorism More
Dean Obeidallah
August 12, 2014
When he attacked “bosses” and “political machines,” he made sure to denounce “demagogues” and “fanatics” in the next sentence.
The GOP’s Last Identity Crisis Remade U.S. Politics
Michael Wolraich
July 24, 2014

Historical Examples of denounce

And had not I, unworthy and far-removed from them, sin to denounce?
Little Dorrit
Charles Dickens
I denounce this person as a liar, and impeach him as a coward.
The Life And Adventures Of Nicholas Nickleby
Charles Dickens
It is absurd to denounce the majority of mankind as below the average of mankind.
Alarms and Discursions
G. K. Chesterton
In which country did they denounce the preparations for the conflict, or the incentives of the conflict?
Mountain Meditations
L. Lind-af-Hageby
Thus, the wife was made to denounce the husband, the son the father, and the friend the friend.
Roman Catholicism in Spain
Anonymous

British Dictionary definitions for denounce

denounce

verb (tr)

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

Derived Formsdenouncement, noundenouncer, noun

Word Origin for denounce

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 Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for denounce

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.