the damned
noun
: the people who have been sent to hell as punishment after their death
the souls of the damned
Examples of the damned in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
In Michelangelo’s Last Judgment a devil drags one of the damned to hell by his testicles (which sounds like heaven to me).
—
Michael Robbins, Harpers Magazine, 20 Aug. 2025
Over the phone, Lena Gonzalez’s voice had the patient but proud tone of a lawyer charged with defending the damned.
—Gustavo Arellano, Los Angeles Times, 12 Dec. 2024
Among the damned were figures that resembled Mr. Lukashenko and other government figures.
—Alex Williams, New York Times, 25 July 2023
To place oneself imaginatively in front of that gigantic, frescoed wall in the Sistine Chapel with its vast span of cosmic horror (the damned) and ecstasy (the saved) and then to receive such a deflationary interpretation — really?
—Leonard Barkan, Washington Post, 3 Apr. 2023
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Michael Robbins, Harpers Magazine, 20 Aug. 2025
Over the phone, Lena Gonzalez’s voice had the patient but proud tone of a lawyer charged with defending the damned.
—Gustavo Arellano, Los Angeles Times, 12 Dec. 2024
Among the damned were figures that resembled Mr. Lukashenko and other government figures.
—Alex Williams, New York Times, 25 July 2023
To place oneself imaginatively in front of that gigantic, frescoed wall in the Sistine Chapel with its vast span of cosmic horror (the damned) and ecstasy (the saved) and then to receive such a deflationary interpretation — really?
—Leonard Barkan, Washington Post, 3 Apr. 2023
Cite this Entry
“The damned.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/the%20damned. Accessed 31 Oct. 2025.
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