denunciation
Americannoun
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an act or instance of denouncing; public censure or condemnation.
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an accusation of crime before a public prosecutor or tribunal.
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notice of the termination or the renouncement of an international agreement or part thereof.
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Archaic. warning of impending evil; threat.
noun
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open condemnation; censure; denouncing
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obsolete law a charge or accusation of crime made by an individual before a public prosecutor or tribunal
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a formal announcement of the termination of a treaty
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archaic an announcement in the form of an impending threat or warning
Other Word Forms
- nondenunciation noun
- overdenunciation noun
Etymology
Origin of denunciation
1540–50; < Latin dēnuntiātiōn- (stem of dēnuntiātiō ), equivalent to dēnuntiāt ( us ) ( see denunciate) + -iōn- -ion
Explanation
A denunciation is a public reprimand in which you are told that you've done wrong. If you get caught skipping school, expect denunciation — by teachers, your principal, parents and maybe even your friends. When you harshly criticize someone or something in front of other people, it's a denunciation, like an opinion piece that appears in a newspaper. Sometimes denunciation has the meaning of telling on or exposing someone's misdeeds, like a juicy, book-length denunciation of a famous guitarist written by a former bandmate. The Latin root word is denuntiare, "to announce, proclaim, denounce, or command."
Vocabulary lists containing denunciation
Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass
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John F. Kennedy's Address to the American People on the Cuban Missile Crisis (1962)
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Wasn't Me: The Lingo of Laying Blame
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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.
Watson's denunciation shows the scars of golf's so-called civil war, which started in 2022 when LIV started luring star names away from the PGA Tour with enormous pots of cash, still run deep.
From BBC • Apr. 9, 2026
The Canadian premier delivered a blistering denunciation of US global leadership at last week's World Economic Forum in Davos, earning a rare standing ovation and capturing global headlines.
From Barron's • Jan. 29, 2026
The denunciation goes on, but you get the idea.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 16, 2026
Antisemitism is a real problem, and, as Mahdawi stated clearly in his denunciation of it, a few Gaza protesters unfortunately engaged in it.
From Salon • Apr. 17, 2025
With each fresh denunciation of Cory, the studio audience applauds more excitedly.
From "Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By in America" by Barbara Ehrenreich
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.
