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
Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 27 Mar. 2026
Amid the increasingly damning reports on the rising threat of America’s runaway deficits and debt, the looming disaster that could upend the lifestyle of tens of millions of elderly Americans is getting scant attention.
—Shawn Tully, Fortune, 26 Mar. 2026
FOXNews.com, 24 Mar. 2026
And as artists will, the damning revelations will be used to fuel communal creations to process and heal, to elevate whatever message artists produce with their brushes, pencils and instruments.
—Anissa Rivera, Daily News, 20 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for damning
Adjective
Indeed, few movies have ever been more damning or prescient in their condemnation of the health industrial complex, which hides all manner of sins under the guise of physical improvement.
—Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 27 Mar. 2026
Amid the increasingly damning reports on the rising threat of America’s runaway deficits and debt, the looming disaster that could upend the lifestyle of tens of millions of elderly Americans is getting scant attention.
—Shawn Tully, Fortune, 26 Mar. 2026
Verb
Controversy erupts at Yale as damning letter from legendary coach leaks.
—FOXNews.com, 24 Mar. 2026
And as artists will, the damning revelations will be used to fuel communal creations to process and heal, to elevate whatever message artists produce with their brushes, pencils and instruments.
—Anissa Rivera, Daily News, 20 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for damning
Recent Examples of Synonyms for damning
Adjective
-
Trailing by three after a disastrous first period, the Sharks got goals from Nick Leddy and Macklin Celebrini in the second period, and a nifty third-period goal from Alex Wennberg to tie the game and bring the capacity crowd at SAP Center to life.—
Curtis Pashelka,
Mercury News,
5 Apr. 2026
-
The regular sight of US citizens paraded in Iran was disastrous for former President Jimmy Carter.—
Sophie Tanno,
CNN Money,
5 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
They were accused of minor infractions, such as cursing, missing a day of work or bringing a personal cellphone into the administration building.—
Erik Ortiz,
NBC news,
27 Mar. 2026
-
Shaffer-Brockwell could be heard on video repeatedly cursing at the officer before biting his wrist while trying to avoid being handcuffed.—
Alexandra Koch,
FOXNews.com,
21 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
In his community, Bustamante likened it to denouncing Catholicism and removing photos of the pope.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
31 Mar. 2026
-
Documenting and denouncing shootings and arson attacks are easy.—
Jesse Brown,
The Atlantic,
24 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Before sentencing in that case, numerous victims read out harrowing impact statements.—
Nate Anderson,
ArsTechnica,
9 Apr. 2026
-
Konig will be held at the O’ahu Community Correctional Center until sentencing.—
Marlene Lenthang,
NBC news,
9 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
The Russian ambassador to Libya hung out in my room, as did a Russian kid named Konstantin with an unfortunate stutter and endearing affection for the American rock band Metallica.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
3 Apr. 2026
-
The film is a Hulu release, continuing the rather unfortunate trend of comedy no longer being the box office powerhouse it once was.—
Brian Davids,
HollywoodReporter,
3 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
That year, the family of a patient who died filed a lawsuit blaming him for failing to diagnose her lung cancer.—
Peter Elkind,
ProPublica,
9 Apr. 2026
-
There are ways of pointing this out without explicitly blaming her.—
R. Eric Thomas,
Chicago Tribune,
8 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
So far, Senate Republicans have shown less enthusiasm for condemning Daines’ machinations.—
Michelle Cottle,
Mercury News,
9 Apr. 2026
-
The resolutions seek to put Congress on record condemning the conflict and tie the president’s hands from launching further strikes.—
Lauren Green,
The Washington Examiner,
8 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
But, really, this did feel like a night when those play-off hopes were dealt a potentially fatal blow.—
Richard Sutcliffe,
New York Times,
8 Apr. 2026
-
Measles is a highly contagious airborne disease causing fever, respiratory symptoms and a characteristic rash and can sometimes have severe or fatal complications, especially in young children, according to WHO.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
7 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Damning.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/damning. Accessed 11 Apr. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
