Condemnations

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. Expressions of disapproval that highlight wrongdoing and call for accountability can be viewed as formal reprimands
2. Severe critiques that express moral outrage and call for punishment can be characterized as strong denunciations; formal statements that denounce certain actions or beliefs serve as significant censure; public declarations highlighting the wrongful nature of behaviors are often viewed as harsh admonishments
3. Acts of expressing harsh disapproval towards actions or behaviors ; official declarations assigning guilt or moral fault to someone or something

Etymology: "Condemnations" is simply the plural of "condemnation," so its history is that of the singular noun. That noun came into Middle English as "condempnacioun," borrowed from the Latin "condemnātiō," the act of condemning or a sentence of guilt. The Latin itself was built from "condemnāre," which combined "com-," an intensifying prefix, with "damnāre," meaning to inflict loss or to pronounce a judgment against someone. "Damnāre" came from "damnum," a loss or harm, which is also the source of the English "damn" and "damage." The Latin root therefore carried a legal sense from the start: to condemn someone was first a formal verdict, a finding of guilt in a court, before it became a term for moral disapproval. That is why the plural form serves both senses today, from a judge's official sentences to the sharp public criticisms that people level at behavior they reject.

Synonyms: censures, reproaches, denunciations

Antonyms: approvals, endorsements, commendations