damning

adjective

damn·​ing ˈda-miŋ How to pronounce damning (audio)
1
: bringing damnation
a damning sin
2
: causing or leading to condemnation or ruin
presented some damning testimony
damningly adverb

Examples of damning in a Sentence

a damning flaw in the program cost the company millions of dollars
Recent Examples on the Web That’s why the PR crisis involving Kate Middleton could be particularly damning to their public perception long-term, and thus diminish their business and economic impact. Sydney Lake, Fortune, 16 Mar. 2024 The mayor uses all the tools at his disposal to thwart the release of his brother’s damning report. Charles McNulty, Los Angeles Times, 12 Mar. 2024 No fingerprints Veronica Lee: Right But the state pathologist did provide damning testimony. Erin Moriarty, CBS News, 12 Mar. 2024 In this damning dissection, Intercept journalists lay bare the decisions that led to the story’s publication in the first place, some of which one of the freelancers, Anat Schwartz, articulated in an interview with Israel’s Channel 12 news. Longreads, 8 Mar. 2024 Black mamas face this from all sides—our inner circles offer unsolicited opinions, and the larger world offers damning statistics. Essence, 28 Feb. 2024 The results were damning: Wirecard had been fudging its numbers. Joel Khalili, WIRED, 26 Feb. 2024 The emergence of a confidential FBI informant coursed through right-wing media, where talking heads and outlets spotlighted the claims as damning evidence of criminal wrongdoing. Oliver Darcy, CNN, 16 Feb. 2024 But one of the most damning figures that illustrates the doom headed for commercial real estate is the total value of mortgages that will mature in 2024. Sydney Lake, Fortune, 13 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'damning.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1595, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of damning was in 1595

Dictionary Entries Near damning

Cite this Entry

“Damning.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/damning. Accessed 29 Mar. 2024.

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