Meaning & use
self-condemned
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Meanings
adjectivenot comparableformalliterary
Feeling that you deserve blame or punishment, because of something you have done or are.
Grammar: Used after linking verbs such as be, feel, seem: she felt self-condemned.
Patterns
- be self-condemned
- feel self-condemned
- a self-condemned look
After the letter arrived, he walked around the house feeling self-condemned and unable to explain himself.
She gave a small, self-condemned smile and admitted that she had known the truth all along.
They were a self-condemned group, convinced that their silence had caused the whole disaster.
adjectivebefore a nounformal
Containing or showing a judgment that the speaker or writer is wrong, without any accuser being needed.
Grammar: Comes before a noun, as in a self-condemned argument or a self-condemned statement.
Patterns
- a self-condemned argument
- a self-condemned statement
- a self-condemned claim
His speech was self-condemned: in defending his honesty, he revealed exactly what he had hidden.
The report is self-condemned, since its own figures contradict the conclusion it draws.
Common combinations
- feel self-condemned
- He felt self-condemned for weeks after the argument.
- a self-condemned expression
- A self-condemned expression crossed her face when the truth came out.
- stand self-condemned
- The old policy stands self-condemned in the light of these results.
- self-condemned silence
- Their self-condemned silence told the room everything.
Synonyms and how they differ
- guilt-ridden
- Stronger and more emotional; it stresses the painful feeling of guilt rather than the judgment that blame is deserved.
- ashamed
- More everyday and usually about a specific act or feature; self-condemned is more literary and suggests a whole state of being.
- remorseful
- Focuses on sorrow for something done and often implies wanting to make amends, which self-condemned does not.
Opposites
Word family
- condemn verb
- To say strongly that someone or something is wrong or deserves punishment.
- condemnation noun
- A strong statement that someone or something is bad or deserves blame.
- condemned adjective
- Judged guilty or officially ordered to be punished, as in a condemned prisoner.
- self-condemnation noun
- The act of blaming or judging yourself harshly.
Commonly confused: self-condemned or self-confessed?
self-condemned vs self-confessed
Self-confessed means you have openly admitted something about yourself (a self-confessed liar); self-condemned means you feel or show that you deserve blame.
Practice
Which sentence uses "self-condemned" correctly?
Choose one answer.
"Self-condemned" describes a person who feels they deserve blame, so it fits after a linking verb like "felt." The other options use it as an action verb with an object, which is the job of "condemn" or "condemned," not "self-condemned."
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “self-condemned”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.