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:
“It is hard to imagine a more powerfully punitive consequence than to condemn a new parent to miss the entirety of their children’s childhoods,” their lawyers wrote.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 14, 2026
Saplings were then donated to community groups and charities around the country, with art projects launched to highlight nature's importance and condemn the illegal felling.
From BBC ● Sep. 28, 2026
United States, to condemn the Tenure of Office Act and strike down a Reconstruction-era regulation of the presidency.
From Slate ● Sep. 16, 2026
“Andrew and Channel 5 strongly condemn memecoins and want nothing to do with them.”
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 9, 2026
No one would condemn her for studying such a useful creature.
From "The Girl Who Drew Butterflies: How Maria Merian's Art Changed Science" by Joyce Sidman
On Saturday, China's foreign ministry said the nation "strongly condemns" Takaichi's offering and ministers' visit to the shrine.
From Barron's ● Aug. 15, 2026
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
Weeks before the elections, Meloni released videos in multiple languages saying the Italian right “unambiguously” condemns the fascist regime’s suppression of democracy and antisemitic policies.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 27, 2026
"The Scottish FA condemns in the strongest possible terms attempts to compromise the safety of match officials," said the SFA, which organises refereeing in the SPFL.
From BBC ● May 15, 2026
It is that which condemns the tragic character to his walking death.
From "The Once and Future King" by T. H. White
In its closing arguments, the prosecution condemned Luque's "inaction," saying his attitude "was always to do nothing" in the face of the warning signs that Maradona was exhibiting.
From Barron's ● Oct. 21, 2026
Gideon Sa'ar, Israel's foreign minister, said he strongly condemned the violence by what he called "Israeli rioters".
From BBC ● Oct. 17, 2026
The building was in rough shape, and condemned a few years later.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 17, 2026
The European Union's delegation in Tirana strongly condemned Thursday's "violent escalation".
From Barron's ● Oct. 15, 2026
It was no better than being condemned to the garment-center labor force.
From "Bad Boy" by Walter Dean Myers
The National Association of Secretaries of State and the National Association of State Election Directors issued a joint statement condemning what they said were threats against election staff.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 17, 2026
El-Sayed’s campaign had already released a video condemning and memorializing 9/11 that morning.
From Slate ● Sep. 17, 2026
The Gulf Co-operation Council – made up of representatives from the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Oman, Qatar and Kuwait – also issued a missive condemning the attack.
From BBC ● Sep. 12, 2026
The report caused indignation, with President Emmanuel Macron's equality minister Aurore Berge condemning them as "absolutely unacceptable".
From Barron's ● Sep. 9, 2026
I agreed to lead the attack and offered the motion condemning him, which was seconded by Oliver Tambo.
From "Long Walk to Freedom" by Nelson Mandela
Random Word
Spin the wheel and learn a new word!
Get a wordDefinitions 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.
