as in disastrous
bringing about ruin or misfortune
a damning flaw in the program cost the company millions of dollars
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
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
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 damning
Lily Ford, HollywoodReporter, 11 Feb. 2026
The most damning thing about Frank’s experience is that this is the season when the Premier League has gone ‘old-school’, and his approach still seemed too basic for Tottenham.
—Michael Cox, New York Times, 11 Feb. 2026
Rachel Burchfield, InStyle, 11 Feb. 2026
Epstein is different because, under a certain set of assumptions, an individual’s presence in the files is presumptively damning.
—Gilad Edelman, The Atlantic, 7 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for damning
Adjective
Among the more damning statistics highlighted, per the Official Journal of the American Academy of Paediatrics, is that over half of trans boys have attempted suicide.
—Lily Ford, HollywoodReporter, 11 Feb. 2026
The most damning thing about Frank’s experience is that this is the season when the Premier League has gone ‘old-school’, and his approach still seemed too basic for Tottenham.
—Michael Cox, New York Times, 11 Feb. 2026
Verb
After the latest drop of the Epstein files, Andrew and Sarah’s move out of Royal Lodge was accelerated, and both were out by February 2, just days after the release of the files and the damning content within them.
—Rachel Burchfield, InStyle, 11 Feb. 2026
Epstein is different because, under a certain set of assumptions, an individual’s presence in the files is presumptively damning.
—Gilad Edelman, The Atlantic, 7 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for damning
Recent Examples of Synonyms for damning
Adjective
-
And as someone who has done this a long time, Musselman understands that the responsibility for the team’s disastrous stretch run ultimately falls squarely on his shoulders.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
9 Mar. 2026
-
Noem’s dissmissal comes after she was berated by lawmakers on Capitol Hill over a series of disastrous blunders by her department, including the killings of two American citizens by border patrol agents in Minneapolis and apparent attempts by DHS to stifle investigations into the shootings.—
Emily Zemler,
Rolling Stone,
6 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Davidson’s Tourette’s causes involuntary tics, and he was heard cursing throughout the show, however the BBC failed to censor the N-word during its broadcast, causing further harm.—
Emily Zemler,
Rolling Stone,
3 Mar. 2026
-
Jones also played two tapes in which Karen can be heard screaming and cursing at her daughter.—
Sonja Sharp,
Los Angeles Times,
27 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
But there were also reports of protests in some parts of Iran on Sunday denouncing the war and calling for retribution.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
1 Mar. 2026
-
Paris also saw a small counter-protest Sunday by left-wing groups denouncing ″American imperialism″ and warning of broader war.—
Elissa Jorgensen,
Dallas Morning News,
1 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
His lawyers also claimed the federal judge overseeing the case was too harsh in sentencing Combs and therefore violated his constitutional rights.—
Kevin Dolak,
HollywoodReporter,
4 Mar. 2026
-
Anna Kwok said in an Instagram post that sentencing her father under the pretext that his actions lowered the likelihood of her return to stand trial is a judicial farce.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
27 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
Celta’s experienced striker Borja Iglesias equalized for the home side with his third goal in four games after 25 minutes, and strike partner Iago Aspas was unfortunate to see his shot come back off the post with two minutes remaining as both sides pushed for a winner.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
6 Mar. 2026
-
This time round, though, an unfortunate silliness sometimes creeps in, where the film risks tipping over Shakespearean-size emotions into embarrassing bathos.—
Miriam Balanescu,
IndieWire,
5 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
The cost of energy has forced its way up the EU political agenda, with heavy industry blaming it for factory closures and the US and Israeli war with Iran sending oil and gas prices spiking.—
Ewa Krukowska,
Bloomberg,
5 Mar. 2026
-
He had been arrested for being among 17 political activists, artists and human rights lawyers who signed an open letter blaming then Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei for the killing of thousands of anti-government protesters.—
Leila Fadel,
NPR,
5 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Others in conservative media, including Dan Bongino and Dave Rubin, followed Shapiro with similar language in condemning Owens for Bride of Charlie.—
Kevin Dolak,
HollywoodReporter,
5 Mar. 2026
-
Officials and activists from across Southeast Michigan were in downtown Detroit in front of the federal building on Wednesday, condemning the air strike on Iran.—
Julia Avant,
CBS News,
5 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
The man’s death marks Kansas City’s 24th homicide of 2026, compared to 26 at this time last year, according to data tracked by The Star, which includes fatal police shootings.—
Caroline Zimmerman,
Kansas City Star,
11 Mar. 2026
-
According to the city's police department, the fatal accident occurred at 1990 S Flamingo Road.—
Ana Maria Soler,
CBS News,
10 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Damning.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/damning. Accessed 12 Mar. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
