accursed

adjective

ac·​cursed ə-ˈkərst  -ˈkər-səd 

variants or accurst

ə-ˈkərst 

1

: being under or as if under a curse

an accursed people

2

: damnable

accursedly

ə-ˈkər-səd-lē 

adverb

accursedness

ə-ˈkər-səd-nəs 

noun

Synonyms

• blasted
• cursed
• deuced
• freaking
• infernal
• damnable
• curst

Examples of accursed in a Sentence

the video store is charging another accursed late fee

Recent Examples on the Web

Must be able to play an accursed whalebone lyre while consuming five sticks of unsalted butter. —Keaton Patti, The New Yorker, 16 Aug. 2019

The others have tried to forget all about it, and have managed to put some distance between themselves and their accursed hometown. —New York Times, 3 Sep. 2019

Then from each black, accursed mouth The cannon thundered in the South, And with the sound The carols drowned Of peace on Earth, goodwill to men! —Anchorage Daily News, 23 Dec. 2017

Earlier this year the accursed Queen Elizabeth of England imposed Protestantism on her wretched subjects, who are now deprived of the consolation of the sacraments. —Erik Spanberg, The Christian Science Monitor, 12 Sep. 2017

And the Republican establishment, which loathes him, eggs them on, hoping to be rid of their mad, accursed priest. —John Kass, Twin Cities, 1 June 2017

Word History

Etymology

Middle English acursed, from past participle of acursen "to consign to destruction with a curse," going back to Old English acursian, from a-, perfective prefix + cursian "to curse entry 2" — more at abide

Note: The verb acursian is attested once in late Old English (glosses to the Salisbury Psalter, added in 1100 or sometime thereafter). The prefix a- may rather be a reduced form of on- than the old perfective prefix. In the 16th century spellings with initial acc- intrude, as if the word were a Romance or Latin formation with the prefix ad-.

First Known Use

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

accursed

adjective

ac·​cursed ə-ˈkərst  -ˈkər-səd 

variants or accurst

ə-ˈkərst 

1

: being under a curse

2

: damnable sense 2, detestable

accursedly

-ˈkər-səd-lē 

adverb

accursedness

-ˈkər-səd-nəs 

noun