damning 1 of 2

adjective

ˈda-miŋ How to pronounce damning (audio)
Definition of damningnext
as in disastrous
bringing about ruin or misfortune a damning flaw in the program cost the company millions of dollars

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

damning

2 of 2

verb

present participle of damn
1
as in cursing
to use profane or obscene language at or about damned the car for once again breaking down

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in denouncing
to declare to be morally wrong or evil a heresy that was quickly damned by a hastily called church council

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in sentencing
to impose a judicial punishment on damned him to life in prison without the possibility of parole

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of damning
Adjective
Republicans and Democrats built these programs together, which is what makes the silence so damning. — Shawn Vandiver, The Orlando Sentinel, 7 Aug. 2026 Trump himself sees no problem with publicly damning judges on social media and in the press. — Jeffrey Freedman, Sun Sentinel, 6 Aug. 2026
Verb
Los Angeles Police Department Detective Corey Ferrel testified about damning text message communications Monday as Burke's week-long preliminary hearing neared an end, FOX 11 Los Angeles reported. — Michael Ruiz, FOXNews.com, 28 July 2026 Lawmakers had started impeachment proceedings in June after a damning parliamentary report concluded the president had a case to answer regarding the handling of the theft, including why such large amounts of cash were kept in a sofa at the farm. — ABC News, 24 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for damning
Recent Examples of Synonyms for damning
  1. disastrous
  2. cursing
  3. denouncing
  4. sentencing
  5. unfortunate
  6. blaming
  7. condemning
  8. fatal
Adjective
  • Boone didn’t get to watch the disastrous half-inning from the dugout, as he was ejected in the top of the sixth.
    — Gary Phillips, New York Daily News, 15 Aug. 2026
  • Despite so many past failures, Washington’s foreign policy debates are frequently still dominated by aging officials who made disastrous choices.
    — Emma Ashford, Foreign Affairs, 12 Aug. 2026
Definition of disastrous
Verb
  • Video that the teen lobster diver's family shared with ABC Miami affiliate WSVN allegedly shows Simpson swimming away from the third lung and back to the Contender vessel as people on Del Sol's boat began yelling and cursing at him.
    — Bill Hutchinson, ABC News, 7 Aug. 2026
  • Obumseli chronicled their arguments in a series of recordings, which caught Clenney angrily screaming, berating and cursing him out using racist slurs.
    — Grethel Aguila, Miami Herald, 31 July 2026
Definition of cursing
Verb
  • Curtis’ office, and created online petitions denouncing Kurv’s industrial plan, garnering more than 1,000 signatures.
    — Brian J. Rogal, Chicago Tribune, 20 Aug. 2026
  • Initially, diplomats assigned to the region sought to counter Bukele’s growing influence by sharply denouncing his anti-democratic impulses.
    — Daniel Castro, New Yorker, 18 Aug. 2026
Definition of denouncing
Verb
  • But if convicted, the judge would have the option of sentencing him as a juvenile, as an adult or imposing a juvenile sentence that could convert to an adult sentence if he is not rehabilitated.
    — Paula Wethington, CBS News, 17 Aug. 2026
  • The state should provide pathways to employment for these individuals rather than sentencing them to jail time when possible, said Sharp-Collins in the Assembly.
    — Sofia Williams, Sacbee.com, 29 July 2026
Definition of sentencing
Adjective
  • That understanding for the narrator is one tinged with mourning for the boy who endured but also the suspect boy who was always there, even before all the unfortunate happenings.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 18 Aug. 2026
  • The first addresses inflammation and irritation (an unfortunate side effect of vitamin C, for some people).
    — Maggie Ryan, Flow Space, 17 Aug. 2026
Definition of unfortunate
Verb
  • People shooting them too far forward and then blaming the cartridge, maybe.
    — Alex Robinson, Outdoor Life, 20 Aug. 2026
  • But blaming the technology risks obscuring the fact that humans write the code, select the data on which AI systems are trained, approve their use, and decide where and how they are deployed.
    — Shaun Harper, AJC.com, 18 Aug. 2026
Definition of blaming
Verb
  • Iran and Pakistan together have forced out millions of Afghans who sought refuge in those countries, effectively condemning the women and girls among them to suffer the Taliban’s persecution.
    — Rina Amiri, Foreign Affairs, 14 Aug. 2026
  • Democratic socialist candidates have unseated more moderate incumbents in primaries in Colorado, Michigan and New York while condemning actions by the state of Israel.
    — Amanda Rosa, Miami Herald, 14 Aug. 2026
Definition of condemning
Adjective
  • The family ran the rescue out of their New Hampshire house until a fatal fire burned it down in 2019.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 18 Aug. 2026
  • The researchers also examined fatal crashes, looking at drivers’ ages, alcohol involvement, the number of people in the car and the model year of cars, as newer cars may have more safety features that prevent distraction.
    — Diana Anos, CNN Money, 17 Aug. 2026
Definition of fatal

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damning
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Cite this Entry

“Damning.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/damning. Accessed 21 Aug. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on damning

Nglish: Translation of damning for Spanish Speakers

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