damning
/ˈdamɪŋ
/adjective
1(Of a circumstance or piece of evidence) strongly suggesting guilt or error: I was innocent but the evidence was damning...
- Each witness sits on the witness chair and delivers a piece of damning evidence.
- If his hair and Natalee's hair is on it, yes it'll be very damning evidence and possibly proof beyond a reasonable doubt.
- Suspicion rested on a handful of a details, which the Crown took as damning evidence and for which her defence said there was a perfectly innocent explanation.
Synonyms
incriminating, condemnatory, condemning, damnatory;
damaging, derogatory;
conclusive, strong
rare implicatory
1.1Extremely critical: a damning indictment of the government’s record...
- Not long after this damning report, criticism again rained on the Bank.
- Poor financial planning was one of the many criticisms in a damning report on the council by the Audit Commission earlier this year.
- The report was a damning indictment of declining safety standards between 2003 and May 2005.
Derivatives
damningly
- What his comments illustrate most clearly, and most damningly, is a depth of arrogance that could go some way towards explaining just why Britain's swimmers have under-performed.
- Chaytor concludes, damningly, that a university system financed wholly or largely out of general taxation can only ever be a system designed for an elite.
- Most damningly of all, it is alleged that up to six new councillors are heavily in debt on their council tax and voting illegally in the chamber.