Meaning & use
damning
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Meaning
adjectivebefore a noun
Showing very strongly that someone is guilty or that something is badly wrong, so that it is hard to defend them.
Grammar: Usually comes before the noun: damning evidence; after be it also works: the report is damning.
Patterns
- damning evidence of something
- a damning verdict on something
The emails provided damning evidence of fraud.
The inspector's report was damning about the factory's safety record.
A damning review ended the film's chances at the box office.
Common combinations
- damning evidence
- The video was damning evidence against the driver.
- damning report
- A damning report criticized the hospital's management.
- damning verdict
- The critics delivered a damning verdict on the play.
- damning indictment
- The statistics are a damning indictment of the policy.
- damning with faint praise
- He damned her with faint praise by calling the cake edible.
Synonyms and how they differ
- incriminating
- Incriminating is narrower and concerns evidence that shows guilt in a crime, while damning can also describe criticism of quality.
- condemnatory
- Condemnatory is a formal word for expressing strong disapproval, whereas damning suggests proof of fault.
- scathing
- Scathing describes harsh, sharp criticism in tone, while damning means the content proves fault.
- conclusive
- Conclusive means final and proving a point beyond doubt, but is not negative on its own like damning.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: damning or dam?
damning vs dam
Dam is a barrier that holds back water, while damning relates to damn, meaning to condemn.
Practice
The leaked memo was ___ evidence that the company had hidden the defect.
Choose one answer.
Damning evidence strongly proves wrongdoing. Amusing and delightful are positive tones, and vague means unclear, which would not prove guilt.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “damning”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.