adj
Uncommon
cursed
KUR-sihd
Cursed (adj) means Affected by a curse; suffering from bad luck believed to be supernatural. Example: “The ship was said to be cursed after three captains vanished at sea.”
adj
1
Affected by a curse; suffering from bad luck believed to be supernatural.
"The ship was said to be cursed after three captains vanished at sea."
"The villagers believed the old house was cursed and never went near it."
"Everyone on the team felt cursed after losing three finals in a row."
2
Informal: strange, unsettling, or absurd in a way that's treated as darkly funny (common in internet slang for bizarre images).
"Someone posted a cursed photo of a cat wearing shoes."
"That cursed video of a talking potato has haunted me all week."
"My friends keep sending me cursed memes that I cannot unsee."
adv
1
Old-fashioned: extremely, damnably.
"It was a cursed cold night to be stranded outside."
"The road was cursed slippery after the rain, and we crawled along."
"It is a cursed long walk to the station in this heat."
How to use cursed
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishUnder a curse — or, in modern slang, so weird it's almost disturbing.
When to use it
The internet-slang "cursed image" sense is very informal and mostly used online, paired with its joke opposite "blessed."
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Word forms
- Comparative
- curseder, more cursed
- Superlative
- cursedest, most cursed
Fill the gap
Can you complete this real example?
The ship was said to be _____ after three captains vanished at sea.
Etymology
The past participle of curse, formed with the ending -ed.
Synonyms
View more →Antonyms
Related words
Rhymes for cursed
See all rhymes for cursed →Frequently asked questions
What does “cursed” mean?
The word “cursed” means affected by a curse; suffering from bad luck believed to be supernatural. In plain terms, under a curse — or, in modern slang, so weird it's almost disturbing.
How do you pronounce “cursed”?
“Cursed” is pronounced KUR-sihd (/ˈkɝsɪd/ in IPA).
How do you use “cursed” in a sentence?
Here is “cursed” used in a sentence: “The ship was said to be cursed after three captains vanished at sea.”
What part of speech is “cursed”?
Depending on how it is used, “cursed” can be an adjective and an adverb.
Is “cursed” a common word?
“Cursed” is an uncommon word in modern English.
How many meanings does “cursed” have?
“Cursed” has 3 distinct senses listed in this dictionary. The most common is: affected by a curse; suffering from bad luck believed to be supernatural.
What is the difference between cursed and jinxed?
Cursed traditionally implies suffering from bad luck believed to be supernatural, often as the result of a deliberate curse, while jinxed usually suggests a run of bad luck without necessarily implying a formal supernatural act. In casual use the two words are often treated as near-synonyms.
What does 'cursed' mean in internet slang?
In informal internet slang, cursed describes something strange, unsettling, or absurd in a way that is treated as darkly funny, especially when applied to bizarre images. This modern sense is distinct from the traditional meaning of being affected by a supernatural curse.
Is 'cursed' used as an adverb?
Yes, in old-fashioned usage cursed can function as an adverb meaning extremely or damnably, as in a cursed difficult problem. This usage is largely archaic in modern English.
How is 'cursed' pronounced differently for its adjective and adverb senses?
As an adjective describing something affected by a curse, cursed is often pronounced with two syllables in older or poetic usage. In everyday modern speech, both the adjective and informal slang senses are typically pronounced as one syllable.
