To publicly criticize or accuse someone or something, especially for being wrong, evil, or illegal.
From Latin *denuntiare* meaning 'to report, to declare, to warn', from *de-* ('down, completely') and *nuntiare* ('to announce'). The sense shifted from general announcing to specifically announcing something as bad.
To denounce is like making an announcement with a spotlight on what’s wrong. The public nature is key—you’re not just disapproving quietly, you’re officially putting something on the record as unacceptable.
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