Condemned describes someone or something declared to be punished or morally judged, often by law or authority. It can also mean something that is judged as unfit for use or doomed to fail. The term carries a formal, somewhat somber tone and is frequently used in legal, moral, or descriptive contexts.
"The condemned man stood before the judge as the sentence was read."
"The building was condemned after the earthquake caused structural damage."
"Residents avoided the condemned house as it posed a safety risk."
"In the film, the protagonist is condemned by society for his actions."
Condemned comes from the verb condemn, which derives from the Latin condemnare, combining con- (with, together) and damnare (to condemn, to doom). The Latin damnum denotes loss or damage, and damnare evolved in Latin to mean declare guilty or worthy of punishment. In Medieval Latin, condemnare narrowed to ‘to sentence’ or ‘to bind by oath,’ and by Old French as condamner. English borrowed condemn in the 13th century, retaining its sense of declaring someone guilty, cursing, or declaring something as unfit. The past participle condemned emerged as an adjective by the 14th century, used to describe someone who has been judged and sentenced or something that is legally declared as unfit for use. Over time, the word broadened to include moral or societal judgment and inevitable doom in a broader range of contexts, not solely legal sentencing. Today, condemned often denotes legally or morally sanctioned states or objects, or metaphorically something doomed or deemed unacceptable.
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💡 These words have similar meanings to "Condemned" and can often be used interchangeably.
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Words that rhyme with "Condemned"
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Pronounce it as /kənˈdɛmnd/. Start with a schwa in the first syllable: kuhn. The primary stress is on the second syllable: DEM. End with the /nd/ cluster: nd, with the tongue touching the alveolar ridge and releasing into a light nasal plus stop. Visualize: kuhn-DEMND. Audio reference: you can compare with standard pronunciations on Pronounce or YouGlish to hear the /ˈdɛm/ stressed pattern.
Common errors include misplacing stress, pronouncing the second syllable as ‘DYE-mned’ or over-syllabicating the final cluster, and neutralizing the /ɔ/ into a schwa. Correct these by ensuring the /dɛm/ chunk carries primary stress and the final /nd/ is crisp rather than a nasalized or silent ending. Practice with the minimal pair ‘condemned’ vs. ‘condemn’ (note the final -ed becomes /d/ in this adjective form).
All three accents share the /kənˈdɛmnd/ skeleton, but vowel quality shifts: US often has a tighter /ə/ in the first syllable and a sharp /ɛm/; UK typically features a clear /ə/ in the first syllable and a precise /ɛm/ with less rhotacism; Australian preserves similar vowels but may have a slightly more centralized /ə/ in the first syllable and a lightly rolled /r/ absent, keeping non-rhoticity. In all, stress remains on the second syllable across accents.
The difficulty centers on the second-syllable vowel /ɛm/ and the final /nd/ cluster; the word has a multisyllabic rhythm that can blur the stress if spoken quickly. Beginners often misplace stress or soften the final /nd/ into a nasal or silent ending. Focus on maintaining a crisp /d/ followed by /nd/ release, and keep the second syllable clearly stressed, kicking the mouth to a sharp stop after /m/ and before /nd/.
A distinctive feature is the durable second-syllable stress combined with a tightly closed /nd/ cluster at the end, where the tongue quickly taps the alveolar ridge for /d/ and then releases into /nd/. This is a common stumbling block for non-native speakers who may drop the /d/ or blend the /nd/ into a nasal. Practice with deliberate mouth positions: lips relaxed, jaw stable, tongue high for /ɛm/, then snap to the /nd/ with a clean release.
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