as in disastrous
bringing about ruin or misfortune
a damning flaw in the program cost the company millions of dollars
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in cursing
to use profane or obscene language at or about
damned the car for once again breaking down
Synonyms & Similar Words
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in sentencing
to impose a judicial punishment on
damned him to life in prison without the possibility of parole
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of damning
Gregory Nussen, Deadline, 16 Apr. 2026
Fatone, Mulvihill and Sarlanis all say Boy Band Confidential doesn’t seek to paint a wholly damning portrayal of the boy band life, but rather to show resilience and hope, pointing toward the documentary’s end, which depicts many of the subjects moving on with their lives.
—Ethan Millman, HollywoodReporter, 15 Apr. 2026
Jessica Mathews, Fortune, 3 Apr. 2026
At one point, the case against Duckett seemed damning.
—Orlando Sentinel Editorial Board, The Orlando Sentinel, 3 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for damning
Adjective
Most damning may be that the film is just not very scary.
—Gregory Nussen, Deadline, 16 Apr. 2026
Fatone, Mulvihill and Sarlanis all say Boy Band Confidential doesn’t seek to paint a wholly damning portrayal of the boy band life, but rather to show resilience and hope, pointing toward the documentary’s end, which depicts many of the subjects moving on with their lives.
—Ethan Millman, HollywoodReporter, 15 Apr. 2026
Verb
But growing pushback against the Waltons is showing up in snarky Instagram posts and damning opinion pieces in magazines.
—Jessica Mathews, Fortune, 3 Apr. 2026
At one point, the case against Duckett seemed damning.
—Orlando Sentinel Editorial Board, The Orlando Sentinel, 3 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for damning
Recent Examples of Synonyms for damning
Adjective
-
After last year’s disastrous Eaton fire, Southern California Edison executives vowed to be transparent about what caused the inferno that killed at least 19 people and left thousands of families homeless in Altadena.—
Melody Petersen,
Los Angeles Times,
26 Apr. 2026
-
Sturm then gave Swayman the mercy pull, which frankly could have happened after the disastrous first.—
Stephen Conroy,
Hartford Courant,
26 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Etsy witches are cursing Klay Thompson Wow.—
Amber Harding OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
28 Apr. 2026
-
Armenians at home and in the diaspora voiced their outrage at the friendly message, drawing up grievances and cursing the government, often with expletives.—
Brady Knox,
The Washington Examiner,
25 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Both Mexico City and Guadalajara are preparing to host World Cup games in June, with protesters in both cities denouncing the government's failure to properly investigate the disappearances.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
18 Apr. 2026
-
The pope has been outspoken against the Middle East conflict, urging peace and denouncing attacks on civilians.—
Ryan Mancini,
The Hill,
16 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
In the sports betting case, sentencing guidelines call for a punishment of 21 to 27 months in prison.—
Michael R. Sisak,
Chicago Tribune,
28 Apr. 2026
-
According to Law & Crime, sentencing in the case is scheduled for June 30.—
Sean Joseph OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
27 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Even before the president set off this unfortunate round of gerrymandering, Democratic states such as New York and Illinois were already heavily gerrymandered.—
Colin Pascal,
Baltimore Sun,
25 Apr. 2026
-
He’s beaten by thugs with a crowbar for an unfortunate outburst, exploited by neighbors in the council estate and arrested, all because people don’t understand Tourette syndrome.—
Katie Walsh,
Boston Herald,
24 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
But Emirati officials had threatened for years to leave, blaming Opec’s production quotas for unfairly curtailing its oil exports.—
Harriet Marsden,
TheWeek,
30 Apr. 2026
-
In 2013, Hall tried (and failed) to replicate the previous magic and his show was cancelled after one season, many blaming tougher competition than before.—
Rick Kogan,
Chicago Tribune,
29 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
The Sarnecki and Masterson campaigns both provided statements to The Star condemning 7-OH and kratom as dangerous and praising lawmakers for taking action to criminalize the substances.—
Matthew Kelly
May 1,
Kansas City Star,
1 May 2026
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On Wednesday, Congressmen Josh Gottheimer and Mike Lawler introduced a bipartisan House resolution condemning the antisemitic rhetoric of Hasan Piker on the far left and Candace Owens on the far right.—
Alma Hernandez,
New York Daily News,
1 May 2026
Adjective
-
Homicide detectives are investigating the fatal shootings of three adults in Baldwin Park last week — two of whom were a married couple, officials said, who were being mourned by their college-age children.—
Karen Garcia,
Los Angeles Times,
28 Apr. 2026
-
Police have arrested a man on murder and firearm charges in connection with a fatal shooting in Stratford earlier this month.—
Justin Muszynski,
Hartford Courant,
28 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Damning.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/damning. Accessed 2 May. 2026.
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