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
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Recent Examples of damning
Gregory Nussen, Deadline, 16 Apr. 2026
Fatone, Mulvihill and Sarlanis all say Boy Band Confidential doesn’t seek to paint a wholly damning portrayal of the boy band life, but rather to show resilience and hope, pointing toward the documentary’s end, which depicts many of the subjects moving on with their lives.
—Ethan Millman, HollywoodReporter, 15 Apr. 2026
Jakob Rodgers, Mercury News, 29 Apr. 2026
His injury history with the Miami Dolphins (an ACL and Achilles tear) was a concern, but not damning within Philadelphia’s overall calculus.
—Brooks Kubena, New York Times, 25 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for damning
Adjective
Most damning may be that the film is just not very scary.
—Gregory Nussen, Deadline, 16 Apr. 2026
Fatone, Mulvihill and Sarlanis all say Boy Band Confidential doesn’t seek to paint a wholly damning portrayal of the boy band life, but rather to show resilience and hope, pointing toward the documentary’s end, which depicts many of the subjects moving on with their lives.
—Ethan Millman, HollywoodReporter, 15 Apr. 2026
Verb
Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers ruled Monday that Thao and her three co-defendants failed to prove government authorities acted inappropriately or hid damning details about their star witness while building their sprawling corruption case in the first half of 2024.
—Jakob Rodgers, Mercury News, 29 Apr. 2026
His injury history with the Miami Dolphins (an ACL and Achilles tear) was a concern, but not damning within Philadelphia’s overall calculus.
—Brooks Kubena, New York Times, 25 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for damning
Recent Examples of Synonyms for damning
Adjective
-
Too much of it can be disastrous for the local ecosystems, leading to issues like algal blooms.—
Christopher McFadden,
Interesting Engineering,
10 May 2026
-
The Lakers coach couldn’t even sub fast enough before Ayton’s two-handed frustration shove of Oklahoma City guard Ajay Mitchell put a disappointing punctuation mark on a disastrous 19-second stretch for the Lakers starting center.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
10 May 2026
Verb
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The 66-year-old actress visited the NBC morning show to promote her new Lifetime movie, Love, Again, and ended up accidentally cursing twice live on air.—
Rachel McRady,
PEOPLE,
7 May 2026
-
That looks like a straight between the subscribers and young Wilfred, who was left cursing his beloved Palace for conceding that stoppage-time goal at Anfield, denying him a precious four-pointer.—
Oliver Kay,
New York Times,
1 May 2026
Verb
-
After the vote, Commissioner Zach Lindstrom thanked At Chandee's supporters for sharing his story while denouncing the current presidential administration for locking him up.—
Jeff Wagner,
CBS News,
2 May 2026
-
In response to The Star’s inquiry, Sarnecki provided a statement denouncing 7-OH and kratom.—
Matthew Kelly
May 1,
Kansas City Star,
1 May 2026
Verb
-
In the sports betting case, sentencing guidelines call for a punishment of 21 to 27 months in prison.—
Michael R. Sisak,
Chicago Tribune,
28 Apr. 2026
-
According to Law & Crime, sentencing in the case is scheduled for June 30.—
Sean Joseph OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
27 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Lee said the incident is especially unfortunate, given the good work VCH does.—
Deborah Vankin,
Los Angeles Times,
9 May 2026
-
This is unfortunate and, from your telling, needlessly aggressive.—
R. Eric Thomas,
Mercury News,
7 May 2026
Verb
-
Medicare fraud has become a hot political topic, with Republicans and Democrats each blaming the other party for the problem.—
Kerry Breen,
CBS News,
14 May 2026
-
The Newsom administration estimates that thousands of victims of the Los Angeles wildfires cannot afford to rebuild, blaming a lack of access to affordable loans and a gap between insurance payouts and the cost to build again.—
Taryn Luna,
Los Angeles Times,
13 May 2026
Verb
-
The leaders of other political parties joined Jetten in condemning the attacks.—
Molly Quell,
Los Angeles Times,
8 May 2026
-
The pope has often called for peace and unity, condemning violence and war.—
Emily Guskin,
ABC News,
6 May 2026
Adjective
-
Two Connecticut State Police troopers have been cleared in connection with a fatal shooting in Bozrah last August after the state Inspector General concluded that the armed woman who was shot was apparently trying to commit suicide by cop.—
Justin Muszynski,
Hartford Courant,
12 May 2026
-
The star died in 2009, at age 50, of cardiac arrest due to a fatal dose of propofol and other drugs.—
Chris Murphy,
Vanity Fair,
12 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Damning.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/damning. Accessed 15 May. 2026.
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