Denounce

How to spell denounce

8 letters · 2 syllables

How to pronounce denounce

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does denounce mean?

1. verbTo publicly declare someone or something to be wrong, evil, or worthy of condemnation.

Denounce in a sentence

• Union leaders gathered to denounce the sudden factory closures.

• The editorial used strong language to denounce the new tax policy.

Where does denounce come from?

Language of origin: Latin

This word traces back to the Latin denuntiare, which combined the prefix de-, used here as an intensifier meaning 'formally' or 'fully', with nuntiare, meaning 'to announce or report'. That verb was built on nuntius, a 'messenger', the same root that underlies announce, pronounce, and renounce. The original Latin sense was simply to proclaim or give official notice of something, and in early use it could mean to declare war or to give warning. English took it through Old French denoncier in the 1300s, and over time the sense narrowed toward public condemnation, so that to denounce now means to declare something or someone openly to be wrong or evil. The spelling trap lives in that buried nuntiare: the modern ending is spelled 'ounce', so the messenger root surfaces as a silent reminder that this is the same family as announce.

How the word is built

• de- (formally, fully)
• nounce (from Latin nuntiare: to announce, report)