Condemning

How to spell condemning

10 letters · 3 syllables

How to pronounce condemning

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does condemning mean?

1. verbExpressing strong disapproval of something, or officially declaring it guilty, unfit, or beyond saving.

Condemning in a sentence

• The minister released a statement condemning the violence.

• The inspector is condemning the old factory as unsafe for workers.

Where does condemning come from?

Language of origin: Latin

This word descends from the Latin verb condemnare, which meant to sentence, to blame, or to find guilty. It was built from the prefix com-, used here as an intensifier meaning 'wholly' or 'thoroughly', joined to damnare, the verb that literally meant 'to inflict loss or harm' and later 'to pronounce a sentence against'. English took the word in through Old French condemner during the 1300s, originally in the legal sense of declaring someone guilty in a court. The very same damnare root sits inside the familiar words 'damn' and 'damage', which is a useful reminder of where the buried letters come from. The notorious spelling trap is the silent 'n' before the 'g': the 'n' that goes quiet in 'condemn' is heard again once you add the -ing ending, so writers must remember to keep it on the page.

How the word is built

• con- (from com-: wholly, intensifier)
• demn (from Latin damnare: to inflict harm, to sentence)
• -ing (present participle suffix)