to condemn
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to condemn
To judge or criticize someone or something very harshly on moral grounds.
Die Opposition verdammte die Entscheidung der Regierung als unverantwortlich.
The opposition condemned the government's decision as irresponsible.
'Verdammen' (to condemn / to damn) is an inseparable verb. The prefix 'ver-' remains firmly attached to the verb stem in all conjugated forms and sentence positions.
Er verdammte die Ungerechtigkeit in der Welt.
He condemned the injustice in the world.
'Verdammen' (to condemn) is a very strong, emotional word. It expresses a much harsher and more final rejection than simple criticism.
In seiner Rede verdammte der Aktivist die Zerstörung des Regenwaldes.
In his speech, the activist condemned the destruction of the rainforest.
In this meaning, an action, a policy, or an attitude is often condemned. You can condemn something 'als' (as) immoral, wrong, etc.
Die internationale Gemeinschaft verdammte den Angriff als Bruch des Völkerrechts.
The international community condemned the attack as a violation of international law.
The expression 'verdammt sein zu' (to be doomed to) is used with an infinitive and expresses that a negative fate is unavoidable. A very common collocation is 'zum Scheitern verdammt sein' (to be doomed to fail).
Ohne finanzielle Unterstützung war die Initiative von Anfang an zum Scheitern verdammt.
Without financial support, the initiative was doomed to fail from the beginning.
to sentence / condemn
'verurteilen' and 'verdammen' can both express very strong disapproval. 'verurteilen' is broader: it can mean imposing a sentence in court, or giving clear moral criticism in everyday language. 'verdammen' sounds even harsher, more emotional, or more solemn. It fits when you criticize something especially harshly on moral grounds; in a religious context, it can also mean eternal punishment. Learners may confuse the words because 'verdammen' often feels like a particularly strong form of 'verurteilen'. But for a normal court judgment, you say 'verurteilen', not 'verdammen'.
Wegen der schweren Folgen hat die Gruppe die Tat öffentlich verdammt.
Because of the serious consequences, the group publicly condemned the act.
Die Politiker verurteilten den Angriff auf die Journalisten.
The politicians condemned the attack on the journalists.