denounce

WOTD – 2 July 2007    

English

Etymology

From Old French denuncier, from Latin dēnūntiō, from de + nūntiō (“to announce", "to report", "to denounce”), from nūntius (“messenger", "message”)

Pronunciation

• IPA: /diˈnaʊns/, /dəˈnaʊns/

• Audio (UK)

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• Audio (US)

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• Rhymes: -aʊns

Verb

denounce (third-person singular simple present denounces, present participle denouncing, simple past and past participle denounced)

1. (transitive, obsolete) To make known in a formal manner; to proclaim; to announce; to declare.
   • 1603, John Florio, translating Michel de Montaigne, Essays, II.35:

     Nero [...] sent his Satellites or officers toward him, to denounce the decree of his death to him [...].

   • 1667, John Milton, Paradise Lost:

     And full of peace, denouncing wrath to come

2. (transitive) To criticize or speak out against (someone or something); to point out as deserving of reprehension or punishment, etc.; to openly accuse or condemn in a threatening manner; to invoke censure upon; to stigmatize; to blame.

   to denounce someone as a swindler, or as a coward

3. (transitive) To make a formal or public accusation against; to inform against; to accuse.

   to denounce a confederate in crime

   to denounce someone to the authorities

4. (transitive, obsolete) To proclaim in a threatening manner; to threaten by some outward sign or expression; make a menace of.

   to denounce war; to denounce punishment

5. (transitive) To announce the termination of; especially a treaty or armistice.

Synonyms

• attack, charge, condemn, criticize, damn, decry, discredit, inveigh against, proscribe, report

Related terms

• denunciate

Derived terms

• denouncement
• denouncer

Related terms

terms related to denounce

denunciate denunciation denunciative

denunciator denunciatory

Translations

to make known in a formal manner

• Bulgarian: оповестявам (bg) (opovestjavam)
• Czech: označit (cs)
• Danish: bekendtgøre (da)
• Dutch: bekendmaken (nl)
• Finnish: julistaa (fi), ilmoittaa (fi)

• Polish: zadenuncjować (pl)
• Russian: оглашать (ru) (oglašátʹ) , осведомлять (ru) (ogsvedomljátʹ) , извещать (ru) (izveščátʹ) , оповещать (ru) (opoveščátʹ) 
• Slovak: udať (sk)
• Swedish: föreskriva (sv), kunggöra (sv)

to criticize or speak out against

• Bulgarian: порицавам (bg) (poricavam), осъждам (bg) (osǎždam)
• Catalan: denunciar (ca)
• Czech: nařknout (cs)
• Danish: beskylde (da)
• Dutch: beschuldigen (nl), afkeuren (nl)
• Finnish: tuomita (fi)

• French: dénoncer (fr)
• German: verurteilen (de)
• Hebrew: גינה (he) (giná), הוקיע (he) (hokía)
• Polish: potępić (pl)
• Portuguese: denunciar (pt)
• Russian: обличать (ru) (obličátʹ) , осуждать (ru) (osuždátʹ) , порицать (ru) (poricátʹ) 
• Scottish Gaelic: càin (gd), rach an aghaidh (gd), cronaich (gd), troid (gd)
• Swedish: fördöma (sv), kritisera (sv), anklaga (sv), beskylla (sv)

to make a formal or public accusation against

• Arabic: وَشى (ar) (wašā)
• Bulgarian: обвинявам (bg) (obvinjavam)
• Catalan: denunciar (ca)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 譴責 (cmn), 谴责 (cmn) (qiǎnzé)

• Czech: nařknout (cs)
• Danish: anklage (da)
• Dutch: aanklagen (nl)
• Finnish: (to make a public accusation against) syyttää (fi); (to inform against) ilmiantaa (fi), antaa ilmi (fi)

• French: dénoncer (fr), (slang) balancer (fr)
• Hebrew: גינה (he) (giná), הוקיע (he) (hokía)
• Portuguese: acusar (pt)
• Russian: разоблачать (ru) (razoblačátʹ) , (to inform against) доносить (ru) (donosítʹ) , обвинять (ru) (obvinjátʹ) 
• Spanish: denunciar (es)
• Swedish: anmäla (sv), rapportera (sv)

to proclaim in a threatening manner

• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 非難 (cmn), 非难 (cmn) (fēinàn)

• Czech: vyhlásit (cs)
• Finnish: julistaa (fi)

• Hebrew: גינה (he) (giná), הוקיע (he) (hokía)
• Japanese: 非難する (ja) (ひなんする, hinan suru)
• Russian: угрожать (ru) (ugrožátʹ)  impf., пригрозить (ru) (prigrozítʹ)  pf.
• Scottish Gaelic: troid (gd)

to announce the termination of; especially a treaty

• Bulgarian: денонсирам (bg) (denonsiram)
• Czech: vypovědět (cs)
• Danish: opsige (da)
• Dutch: opzeggen (nl)
• Finnish: irtisanoa (fi), sanoa irti (fi)

• French: dénoncer (fr)
• German: kündigen (de)
• Polish: wypowiedzieć (pl)
• Russian: денонсировать (ru) (denonsírovatʹ) 
• Swedish: säga upp (sv)

See also

• announce
• enounce
• pronounce
• renounce

References

• denounce in The Century Dictionary, The Century Co., New York, 1911
• denounce in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913

Anagrams

• enounced