Skip to main content
self-condemnation

self-condemnation

1 7.9
To blame yourself for mistakes or failures
  • noun
  • /sɛlfˌkɒndɛmˈneɪʃən/
translation icon : autocrítica
  • This woman is too blinded by her own self-condemnation to understand the sentence that she has placed upon herself.

It's their judgment triggering your own self loathing, self judgment, self criticism, self condemnation that is so painful.

Examples

  • Her self-condemnation makes her cry harder.

    Fiction book (1993)
  • I can now say I'm born again without shame or self-condemnation.

    Blog text (25)
  • It was as if John's admission, his self-condemnation, were giving them some kind of strength.

    Fiction book (1990)
  • I woke in the dark, thinking dark thoughts, unable to stop my mind from wandering the shadowy paths of self-condemnation.

    Blog text (16)
  • We just may need to test the accepted wisdom about what contributes to producing positive results in one's life rather than accepting failure, turning to excuses or self-condemnation, or attributing blame or responsibility to others.

    Academic text (1991)
  • Those labels start out as little threads of self-dissatisfaction but ultimately weave together into a straitjacket of self-condemnation.

    Blog text (29)
  • Cather's self-condemnation intensified once she moved to Pittsburgh, developed a new social circle, and, as editor of the Home Monthly, a ladies' magazine, became the purveyor of virtue.

    Fiction book (1992)
  • After making a mistake, his self-condemnation led him to isolate himself from friends.

  • She struggled with feelings of self-condemnation after failing to reach her personal goals.

  • His habit of self-condemnation often prevented him from trying new things and finding happiness.

Synonyms

deprecation
vsself-condemnation
6 7.3

Saying negative things about yourself to make praise seem less important

is deeper blaming oneself tied to personal standards rather than mild disapproval
self-criticism
vsself-condemnation
4 5.1

A habit of judging yourself harshly for your actions or abilities

emphasizes blaming oneself for not meeting personal standards rather than general judgment
self-reproach
vsself-condemnation
1 7.1

A feeling of blaming yourself for something you did wrong

focuses on blame for failing personal expectations, not only guilt after wrongdoing
self-abasement
vsself-condemnation
1 9.3

Act of making yourself feel ashamed to show you are sorry

involves blaming oneself without extreme humiliation or deliberate self-punishment
self-reproof
vsself-condemnation
8.9

A feeling of blaming yourself for a mistake

is used especially for blaming oneself for failing personal standards
self-accusation
vsself-condemnation
7.6

Blaming yourself for things you did wrong

focuses more on blame and criticism tied to failing personal standards

Antonyms

333 2.2

An act of letting go of anger toward someone after they hurt you

Accepting yourself as you are, including your strengths and weaknesses

How Self-Critical

self-hatred
11 6.4
self-condemnation
1 7.9

Surface Forms

Morphology

self-condemnation = self + condemnation (transparent) = self + condemn + ation

The compound clearly combines 'self' and 'condemnation', giving the straightforward meaning 'the act of condemning oneself'.

Etymology

The word self-condemnation joins self ('yourself') and condemn ('to judge or declare guilty'). So it literally means judging yourself guilty, which is why it means blaming or harshly criticizing yourself.