damning 1 of 2

adjective

ˈda-miŋ How to pronounce damning (audio)
Definition of damningnext
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

damning

2 of 2

verb

present participle of damn
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
Adjective
Republican groups have also highlighted other clips of Piker discussing his views, portraying the remarks as politically damning. — Claire Carter, The Washington Examiner, 7 Aug. 2026 Republicans and Democrats built these programs together, which is what makes the silence so damning. — Shawn Vandiver, The Orlando Sentinel, 7 Aug. 2026
Verb
Despite damning evidence, the judge throws out the case and Thorne goes free. — Ben Travers, IndieWire, 2 Aug. 2026 Los Angeles Police Department Detective Corey Ferrel testified about damning text message communications Monday as Burke's week-long preliminary hearing neared an end, FOX 11 Los Angeles reported. — Michael Ruiz, FOXNews.com, 28 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for damning
Recent Examples of Synonyms for damning
  1. disastrous
  2. cursing
  3. denouncing
  4. sentencing
  5. unfortunate
  6. blaming
  7. condemning
  8. fatal
Adjective
  • Arjun Poudel, a health reporter in Nepal, was commuting to the offices of the Kathmandu Post, in the country’s capital, when messages started coming in about a disastrous flood in his home town, close to the border with China.
    — Ishaan Tharoor, New Yorker, 29 Aug. 2026
  • Since a disastrous debut, the rookie right-hander has allowed just two runs over his last 9 2/3 innings with 15 strikeouts.
    — Justice delos Santos, Mercury News, 28 Aug. 2026
Definition of disastrous
Verb
  • Video that the teen lobster diver's family shared with ABC Miami affiliate WSVN allegedly shows Simpson swimming away from the third lung and back to the Contender vessel as people on Del Sol's boat began yelling and cursing at him.
    — Bill Hutchinson, ABC News, 7 Aug. 2026
  • Obumseli chronicled their arguments in a series of recordings, which caught Clenney angrily screaming, berating and cursing him out using racist slurs.
    — Grethel Aguila, Miami Herald, 31 July 2026
Definition of cursing
Verb
  • House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) was blindsided on Tuesday when two members of his caucus voted with House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) to put a resolution denouncing socialism on the floor for a full vote.
    — Washington Examiner Staff, The Washington Examiner, 1 Sep. 2026
  • And other Democrats, especially those from Coupang’s home state, Washington, have joined their Republican colleagues in denouncing South Korea’s posture toward the company.
    — Justin Papp, CNBC, 31 Aug. 2026
Definition of denouncing
Verb
  • In sentencing Kapoor to more than 11 years in prison, the judge sided with prosecutors, who recommended a sentence of 136 months.
    — Miami Herald, Miami Herald, 27 Aug. 2026
  • Timothy is charged with murder — an offense that typically mandates a sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole — therefore the judge is required to hold a Miller hearing before sentencing in the case.
    — Chris Spargo, PEOPLE, 26 Aug. 2026
Definition of sentencing
Adjective
  • There are no Cubs players involved in the TikTok series, the Cubs told me, which is unfortunate since Crow-Armstrong has acting in his DNA — his mother and father are both actors — and probably would be at least as good as Damon.
    — Paul Sullivan, Chicago Tribune, 1 Sep. 2026
  • Every mosquito has a type Count me among the unfortunate souls who are mosquito magnets; something about my body chemistry is irresistible to those tiny bloodsucking fiends.
    — ArsTechnica, ArsTechnica, 1 Sep. 2026
Definition of unfortunate
Verb
  • Vucic last week accused the West and The Hague tribunal of blaming only Serbs for the crimes and bringing no justice for the Serb victims.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 3 Sep. 2026
  • Heaping credit onto Espada is dangerous, but so is blaming him for every game that goes awry.
    — Chandler Rome, New York Times, 31 Aug. 2026
Definition of blaming
Verb
  • Public monuments condemning slavery have been removed, and Confederate names have been restored to Army bases.
    — Charles Finch, The Atlantic, 28 Aug. 2026
  • But the dispute quickly escalated into a reputational crisis for the biennale, with artists from Taiwan and China condemning the name change as a betrayal of its founding ideals.
    — Tessa Solomon, ARTnews.com, 28 Aug. 2026
Definition of condemning
Adjective
  • An incident that for others might be fatal—a free fall from a high bridge—affects the coyote for only a brief moment.
    — Zach Helfand, New Yorker, 31 Aug. 2026
  • There is a broad debate over the applicability of PNB to modern anti-trust cases, with many legal scholars finding the application of a random number, without any real analysis of the potential harm a merger might cause, to be a fatal flaw.
    — Shubha Ghosh, Fortune, 31 Aug. 2026
Definition of fatal

Browse Nearby Words

damned
damning
damns
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Damning.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/damning. Accessed 5 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

A List of Most Commonly Confused Words

Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

Stay Woke

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Words of the Week - Sept. 4
See More

Popular

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

The Longest Long Words List

Stay Woke
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
anagrams on a chalk board
Word Builder Quiz Vol. 2 Pick the letter that when added to a word will ma...
See All