indictment
/ɪnˈdaɪt.mənt/
Word Rarity
Rare
Frequency: Zipf frequency 3.70 in modern English
15
Scrabble Score
10
Letters
3
Syllables
7
Unique Chars
Meaning
noun
An official formal accusation for a criminal offence, or the process by which it is brought to a jury.
Countable; Uncountable
noun
The official legal document outlining the charges concerned; bill of indictment.
Countable; Uncountable
Example Sentences
- "But she accomplished the third task — the one that mattered most to her boss — securing a criminal indictment against Mr. Comey, the former F.B.I. director."
- "[…]— the indictment will remain sealed until his expected arraignment on Tuesday, when the charges will be formally revealed."
- "Can there be a greater indictment against patriotism than that it will thus brand a man a criminal, throw him into prison, and rob him of the results of fifteen years of faithful service?"
- "I must say Humphrey, these facts are a frightening indictment of bureaucratic sloppiness and self-indulgence."
- "I have been critical of the RDG in the past for merely being a cypher for government announcements, but the failure of its members to make a stand on this issue and not be complicit in the Government's subterfuge is a shocking indictment of their failure to protect the industry."
- "an indictment of his ability to lead"
Etymology
18th-century Latinized respelling of Middle English endytement (“action of accusing”), from Anglo-Norman enditement, from enditer, from Late Latin indictāre, from Latin indictus.
Origin
Word Breakdown
- Root: endytement, enditement, indictō, indictus
Regional Pronunciation
- American English: /ɪnˈdaɪt.mənt/