past and past participle
Said offensive words, especially because of anger or pain.
He cursed when the door slammed on his hand.
She cursed at the driver.
American English
How to pronounce cursed
verb · adjectiveB1Common word
KERST
/kʰɚst̚/
One syllable.
Form of curse
Cursed is both the past form and past participle of curse, and it is also commonly used as an adjective.
Said offensive words, especially because of anger or pain.
What to listen for
“Cursed” is usually one syllable (/kʰɚst̚/) when it is the past form of “curse.” As an adjective meaning “damned” or “under a curse,” it is often pronounced in two syllables (/ˈkʰɚ.sɪd̚/).
One-syllable verb form/kʰɚst̚/
Two-syllable adjective form/ˈkʰɚ.sɪd̚/
Meanings & examples
past and past participle
Caused harm or bad luck through magic words or power.
The witch cursed the prince.
The prince was cursed by the witch.
adjective
Under a magical curse believed to cause harm or bad luck.
The cursed artifact brought misfortune to its owner.
The villagers avoided the cursed forest.
adjective
Having extremely bad luck or suffering from a continuing series of problems.
After three accidents, he thought he was cursed.
The team seemed cursed this season.
Good to know
This meaning often describes bad luck figuratively, without a real magical spell.
Useful expressions
an offensive word
Please do not use curse words at work.
to use magic to cause harm or bad luck to someone or something
The legend says that a witch put a curse on the castle.
something with both good and bad effects
Being famous can be a blessing and a curse.
Related words & forms
Drop the final e before -ing: cursing, not curseing.