1
as in condemnation
a prayer that harm will come to someone
uttered a curse upon his persecutor from the scaffold
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in swear
a disrespectful or indecent word or expression
started muttering curses after hitting his thumb with the hammer
Synonyms & Similar Words
3
as in bane
a source of harm or misfortune
intolerance of personal differences is a curse of humanity
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in to imprecate
to ask a divine power to send harm or evil upon
I curse the guy who had the idea of having annoying salespeople call up innocent people to sell them things they don't want
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to plague
to cause persistent suffering to
misfortunes and problems seem to have cursed everyone ever associated with that house
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
4
as in to blame
to use profane or obscene language at or about
cursed him for showing up late, when he knew how important it was to be on time
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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 curse
Dermot Corrigan, New York Times, 10 Mar. 2026
The rise of the gig economy and remote work has finally broken the cubicle curse, giving us the freedom to answer emails from a mountain cabin or run a startup from a beachside bistro.
—Juhi Wadia, PC Magazine, 6 Mar. 2026
Kennedy French, Variety, 4 Mar. 2026
That person is then cursed and slated for murder.
—Tiney Ricciardi, Denver Post, 3 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for curse
Noun
Thus began the ‘pupas’ curse, a millstone Atletico seemingly cannot shake — particularly against their richer, record 15-time Champions League/European Cup-winning neighbours.
—Dermot Corrigan, New York Times, 10 Mar. 2026
The rise of the gig economy and remote work has finally broken the cubicle curse, giving us the freedom to answer emails from a mountain cabin or run a startup from a beachside bistro.
—Juhi Wadia, PC Magazine, 6 Mar. 2026
Verb
Is there something tainted or cursed about this place?
—Kennedy French, Variety, 4 Mar. 2026
That person is then cursed and slated for murder.
—Tiney Ricciardi, Denver Post, 3 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for curse
Recent Examples of Synonyms for curse
Noun
-
The move triggered condemnation from the African Union, the European Union, and countries including China, Egypt, and Saudi Arabia.—
Yinka Adegoke,
semafor.com,
20 Mar. 2026
-
While the findings aren’t a condemnation of any one specific crossbreed, the study’s authors hope the new information will help dispel ongoing myths about designer dogs.—
Andrew Paul,
Popular Science,
19 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Kennedy could be heard hurling swears at the Swedish team.—
Andrew Greif,
NBC news,
23 Feb. 2026
-
And Boring would be that much closer to its 90,000-rider pinkie-swear.—
Pat Beall,
Sun Sentinel,
20 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
The trio in its entirety seemed to have weighed at least three pounds, leading me to believe that Bob’s isn’t too fazed by inflation or the overall food cost margins that seem to be the bane of every restaurateur’s existence.—
Andre James,
Charlotte Observer,
23 Mar. 2026
-
The bane of every dictator Freedom of the press is the bane of every dictator.—
Sun Sentinel Editorial Board,
Sun Sentinel,
23 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
She was plagued with all manner of rashes, sores, and ulcers.—
Amanda Peet,
New Yorker,
21 Mar. 2026
-
But the disapproval persists across the political spectrum over moves against Russia's second-most popular messaging app, adding to frustrations over a growing list of various issues that plague the country.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
21 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Roughly 20 minutes later, the controller appeared to blame himself.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
24 Mar. 2026
-
Cronin blamed himself for not finding a way to stop Connecticut forward Alex Karaban, who scored 27 points and helped fuel two decisive runs for the Huskies.—
Jon Marks,
Los Angeles Times,
23 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
After a meeting with one of them goes horribly wrong, Devlin and her publicist Sylvie, another a victim of Hollywood’s censure, find revenge offers a unique albeit gruesome ingredient for Glob’s products.—
Paula L. Woods,
Los Angeles Times,
19 Mar. 2026
-
The censure document also states that in 2024, the Board sought to address Ko’s absences by updating its policy to reaffirm meeting importance and participation.—
Claire Murphy,
Chicago Tribune,
12 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Fifty languages are spoken by a dozen ethnic groups, which include my tribe, the Ogoni, the Ijaw (the delta’s largest ethnic group), as well as the Ilaje, Ibibio, Andoni, Itsekiri, and Urhobo peoples.—
Noo Saro-Wiwa,
The Dial,
24 Mar. 2026
-
His presence is especially visible around the March 31 César Chávez Day, with the state Department of Education offering extensive lesson plans, biographies in multiple languages, and service-learning activities.—
Howard Blume,
Los Angeles Times,
23 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Related Stories Essiedu is set to play potions master Snape — one of Potter’s nemeses — in the upcoming streaming adaptation, a role previously played by Alan Rickman.—
K.J. Yossman,
Variety,
21 Mar. 2026
-
And while fans and teammates have embraced their former nemesis, his recent streak of three goals in two games have also produced memories of past April anguish.—
Jess Myers,
Twin Cities,
21 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Curse.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/curse. Accessed 26 Mar. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
