Condemned

How to spell condemned

9 letters · 2 syllables

How to pronounce condemned

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does condemned mean?

1. verbExpressed total disapproval of something, or formally sentenced someone to punishment.
2. adjectiveOfficially declared unsafe and unfit for use, usually of a building or structure.

Condemned in a sentence

• verb

  The judge condemned the fraudster to ten years in prison.

• adjective

  The condemned warehouse was finally demolished last month.

• verb

  Local residents condemned the council's decision to close the library.

• adjective

  Squatters had been living in the condemned tower block for years.

Where does condemned come from?

Language of origin: Latin

This is the past form of 'condemn', which descends from the Latin verb condemnare, meaning 'to sentence' or 'to pronounce guilty'. That verb was built from the prefix con-, used here to strengthen the sense, and damnare, which meant 'to inflict loss on, to harm, or to fine'. English took the word in through Old French condemner during the 1300s, and the spelling kept the Latin 'mn' cluster even though the 'n' fell silent in speech. The very same damnare root sits inside the everyday words 'damn' and 'damage', which is a useful reminder that the trap here is the unsounded 'n' you must still write after the 'm'. Over time the word broadened from purely legal sentencing to include declaring a building unfit for use or expressing strong moral disapproval.

How the word is built

• con- (intensive, from Latin com-)
• demn (from damnare: to inflict harm or loss)
• -ed (past tense and participle)