showing clear evidence of guilt or failure; very strongly suggesting something bad or wrong has happened.
From 'damn' (from Latin 'damnare', meaning 'to condemn') + '-ing' (present participle). Originally meant literally condemning to hell, but evolved to mean any strong condemnation.
The phrase 'damning evidence' is interesting because in a courtroom, the most damning evidence isn't necessarily the most dramatic—it's often something quiet and specific that proves guilt beyond doubt, like a single timestamped text message.
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