indictment

indictment — noun

1. A spoken or written attack that accuses a person, organization, or idea of being

1.nounB2
Definition

A spoken or written attack that accuses a person, organization, or idea of being seriously flawed or morally wrong.

Example

The senator's speech was a powerful indictment of the government's climate inaction.

indictment of [target] — pattern for directing criticism

Tariro's report on the factory conditions was a damning indictment of the entire industry.

damning indictment — strong adjective collocation

Common collocations
  • damning indictment
  • powerful indictment
  • scathing indictment
  • harsh indictment
  • sweeping indictment
  • serve as an indictment
  • issue an indictment
Synonyms
  • condemnation

    stronger and more moralistic; used for outright rejection rather than reasoned critique

  • denunciation

    more public and formal; implies a dramatic, often angry rejection

  • criticism

    broader and milder; can be everyday disapproval without the force of an indictment

  • censure

    formal disapproval from an authority such as a committee or governing body

Antonyms

Grammar Patterns

indictment + of + noun phrase

Usage Note

Often followed by of + noun phrase naming the target of criticism. Frequently used with strong adjectives (damning, scathing, harsh, powerful).

Common Mistakes

He wrote an indictment against the new policy.
He wrote a strong indictment of the new policy.
The noun indictment typically takes of, not 'against', when referring to criticism.

2. A condition or situation that clearly shows how badly flawed a system, instituti

2.nounB2
Definition

A condition or situation that clearly shows how badly flawed a system, institution, or set of beliefs really is.

Example

The high unemployment rate is a clear indictment of the city's economic policies.

be an indictment of [system] — identifying evidence of failure

For Sofia, the empty classrooms were an indictment of how little the board valued education.

Common collocations
  • clear indictment
  • stark indictment
  • sad indictment
  • damning indictment
  • stand as an indictment
Synonyms
  • condemnation

    can also be a sign of failure, but more often refers to a verbal judgment

  • reflection

    softer and neutral; does not carry the same force of moral judgment

  • testimony

    can be positive or negative; implies evidence rather than accusation

Antonyms

Grammar Patterns

be an indictment of + noun phrase

Usage Note

This sense does NOT describe a verbal attack — instead, the situation itself is the evidence of failure. The pattern is almost always be an indictment of + noun phrase or stand as an indictment of + noun phrase.

Common Mistakes

The empty buildings were an indictment against the developer.
The empty buildings were a stark indictment of the developer's poor planning.
Use of, not 'against', when something is a sign of failure.

3. A formal charging document prepared through a grand jury proceeding, which accus

3.nounC1
Definition

A formal charging document prepared through a grand jury proceeding, which accuses someone of a serious crime and allows the case to proceed to trial.

Example

The grand jury returned an indictment against the former executive on fraud charges.

return an indictment — standard legal collocation

Jude's lawyer studied every line of the indictment before the hearing began.

Common collocations
  • return an indictment
  • issue an indictment
  • hand down an indictment
  • dismiss an indictment
  • federal indictment
  • grand jury indictment
  • sealed indictment
  • indictment on charges of
Synonyms
  • charge

    broader term; can be any formal accusation, not necessarily from a grand jury

  • accusation

    informal and general; does not carry the same legal weight

  • information

    a prosecutor's charging document used without a grand jury in some US jurisdictions

Grammar Patterns

indictment + against + person

indictment + on + charges

Usage Note

In US law, an indictment is issued by a grand jury based on evidence presented by a prosecutor. In other legal systems, a similar document may be called a charge sheet or information. The verb is indict — note the silent c.

Common Mistakes

The police filed an indictment against the man.
A grand jury returned an indictment against the man.
Indictments come from grand juries, not the police. Police file charges or arrest reports.

4. The legal procedure by which a person is formally charged with a serious crime,

4.nounC1
Definition

The legal procedure by which a person is formally charged with a serious crime, typically through a grand jury's decision.

Example

The prosecutor is seeking an indictment from the grand jury next Tuesday.

seek an indictment — common legal phrasing

Tamar faces indictment on multiple charges linked to the data breach.

face indictment — typical verb + noun collocation

Common collocations
  • seek an indictment
  • face indictment
  • await indictment
  • under indictment
  • indictment process
  • threat of indictment
Synonyms
  • prosecution

    broader; covers the entire legal case from charge to trial, not just the charging stage

  • charging

    more general; can apply to any level of offense, not only serious crimes

Grammar Patterns

under indictment

face indictment

await indictment

Usage Note

Unlike sense 3 (the document), this sense refers to the entire legal process or state of being formally charged. Common in phrases like under indictment (currently charged) and face indictment (be about to be charged).

Common Mistakes

He is under the indictment for fraud.
He is under indictment for fraud.
No article is used in the phrase under indictment.

Word family

  • indict
    verbB2
  • indicted
    adjectiveB2
  • indictable
    adjectiveC1
  • indictor
    nounC1
  • indite
    verbC2

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

While all four words refer to negative judgments, indictment stands apart as the most forceful and consequential. Criticism is the mildest and most everyday term — you can criticize a meal, a movie, or a colleague's idea without implying serious moral failure. Condemnation goes further, suggesting the speaker has completely rejected the target as wrong or evil, often in moral or religious contexts. Denunciation is similar but more dramatic and public — a political leader denounces an enemy regime, while a citizen might criticize a policy. Censure is the most formal and institutional; it is used when an official body (like a legislature or a professional board) formally expresses disapproval. Indictment differs from all of these because it carries the metaphorical weight of a legal charge — calling something 'an indictment' implies that the evidence against it is overwhelming and that a judgment is both deserved and urgent. For example, a journalist might write a criticism of hospital wait times, but a report that reveals systematic neglect leading to patient deaths becomes an indictment of the entire healthcare system.

condemnationdenunciationcriticism ↗censure

Common collocations

Phrases

  • under indictment
  • face indictment
  • return an indictment
  • seek an indictment
  • issue an indictment
  • hand down an indictment

Prepositions

Etymology

LatinAnglo-FrenchMiddle EnglishEnglish

The word indictment entered English in the early 1300s through Anglo-French inditement, coming from the Old French verb enditer (to write down, to accuse). This can be traced further back to the Latin indicere, meaning 'to proclaim formally' or 'to declare publicly' — formed from in- (toward, upon) and dicere (to say). The original English meaning was purely legal: a formal written accusation. The broader, non-legal sense of 'a strong criticism' developed in the late 1700s, allowing the word to describe not just a court document but any public declaration that reveals serious wrongdoing. The spelling with a silent c (indictment instead of inditement) was introduced by scholars in the 1600s who wanted to reflect the Latin root dicere, even though English pronunciation had already settled on the simpler 'in-DITE-ment'.