condemn
Americanverb (used with object)
-
condemns,
present (3rd person singular)
-
condemned,
past participle, past
-
condemning
present participle
-
to express an unfavorable or adverse judgment on; indicate strong disapproval of; censure.
-
to pronounce to be guilty; sentence to punishment.
to condemn a murderer to life imprisonment.
-
to give grounds or reason for convicting or censuring.
His acts condemn him.
-
to judge or pronounce to be unfit for use or service.
to condemn an old building.
-
U.S. Law. to acquire ownership of for a public purpose, under the right of eminent domain.
The city condemned the property.
-
to force into a specific state or activity.
His lack of education condemned him to a life of menial jobs.
-
to doom to eternal punishment in hell.
-
to declare incurable.
verb
-
to express strong disapproval of; censure
-
to pronounce judicial sentence on
-
to demonstrate the guilt of
his secretive behaviour condemned him
-
to judge or pronounce unfit for use
that food has been condemned
-
to compel or force into a particular state or activity
his disposition condemned him to boredom
Synonym Usage
See blame.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
-
condemnationnoun
-
condemnernoun
-
condemnornoun
-
recondemnverb (used with object)
-
condemnableadjective
-
self-condemningadjective
-
uncondemnableadjective
-
uncondemningadjective
-
condemnablyadverb
-
condemninglyadverb
-
uncondemninglyadverb
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
condemnsimple
-
condemnssimple
-
have condemnedperfect
-
has condemnedperfect
-
am condemningprogressive
-
are condemningprogressive
-
is condemningprogressive
-
have been condemningperfect progressive
-
has been condemningperfect progressive
Past
-
condemnedsimple
-
had condemnedperfect
-
was condemningprogressive
-
were condemningprogressive
-
had been condemningperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of condemn
First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English condempnen, from Anglo-French, Old French condem(p)ner, from Latin condemnāre; see con-, damn
Explanation
You can condemn, or openly criticize, someone who is behaving inappropriately. If you are an animal rights activist, you would probably condemn someone for wearing fur. Condemn originally comes, through Old French, from the Latin word condemnāre, "to sentence, condemn." You may see politicians condemn each other in political ads during a campaign in hopes of improving their chances of winning an election. You also might hear of a convict being "condemned to death." In this sense of the word, to condemn still carries on its Latin meaning of "to sentence."
Vocabulary lists containing condemn
List 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!
The Silent Treatment: Words Plagued by Silent Letters
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!
"Romeo and Juliet" by William Shakespeare, Act V
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
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.
See Examples For:
We should be hesitant to place halos around the heads of people we admire, just as we shouldn’t totally condemn those with whom we disagree.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 7, 2026
Beyond that title, the boldest thing about the film is that Araki doesn’t condemn Erika or Elliot for their fling.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 30, 2026
This version however, never looked like having the consistency and cohesion to condemn England to a sixth successive Test defeat – a run of form which would have been their worst in 20 years.
From BBC ● Jul. 11, 2026
But it was extremely hypocritical of the U.S. to condemn the Barbary states for enslaving a few hundred Americans given, you know, the extensive enslavement of hundreds of thousands of Africans on American soil.
From Salon ● Jul. 4, 2026
It seems like the thing that will condemn me.
From "Insurgent" by Veronica Roth
Hamawy has said he condemns Abdel-Rahman’s violent rhetoric and actions and that he had no contact with the cleric after his arrest.
From Slate ● Jul. 14, 2026
The UN said on Friday it "strongly condemns any attacks against civilians and civilian infrastructure, wherever they occur," adding it couldn't verify details due to restricted access to the area.
From Barron's ● May 23, 2026
Grant has been a well-established critic of the Fed’s propensity to tolerate inflation for some time and in particular he condemns the purchasing power that has been lost since 2020, because of the Fed’s policies.
From MarketWatch ● Apr. 14, 2026
In a statement on Sunday, Sudan's foreign ministry said: "The Sudanese government condemns in the strongest terms the Ugandan government's reception... of rebel leader Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, commander of the terrorist militia."
From BBC ● Feb. 22, 2026
It’s almost time to go “Also,” Minerva adds, “Padre Ignacio condemns fortunes only if you believe a human being knows what only God can know.”
From "In the Time of the Butterflies" by Julia Alvarez
She finds herself condemned for what she says, but also for what she doesn’t say.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 14, 2026
When the district attorney later dropped the investigation, citing lack of evidence, Hahn publicly condemned Bycel.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 11, 2026
On Thursday, United Nations chief Antonio Guterres condemned both sides for their repeated attacks on civilian areas.
From Barron's ● Aug. 9, 2026
Sonowal condemned the "unprovoked attack" and said steps would be taken to ensure the safety of seafarers in the region.
From BBC ● Aug. 4, 2026
After 1653 this dispute turned on the question of whether the five Jansenist propositions condemned by the pope as heretical were or were not to be found in Jansen’s Augustinus.
From "The Invention of Science" by David Wootton
In the statement condemning the attack against Isak, Ghana said "taking of any life is unacceptable, and those responsible must be brought to justice without delay".
From BBC ● Jul. 2, 2026
Every time the narrative comes close to truly condemning children’s access to devices, the movie pulls back in fear of isolating or angering the audience.
From Salon ● Jun. 21, 2026
The family has now hired lawyers, who released a statement Friday condemning the police response shown in the video as “completely unnecessary and profoundly dangerous.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 20, 2026
On Wednesday, a group of Harley dealers issued a letter praising the leadership of Chief Executive Artie Starrs and condemning “divisive narratives.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 12, 2026
For two tributes to have a shot at winning, our "romance" must be so popular with the audience that condemning it would jeopardize the success of the Games.
From "The Hunger Games" by Suzanne Collins
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.
