What does cursed mean?
Cursed describes something or someone believed to be under a curse — a supernatural sentence of misfortune imposed by magic, divine wrath, or malevolent will. A cursed object is thought to bring disaster to whoever possesses it; a cursed place is shunned as dangerous or haunted by bad luck; a person may be described as cursed if they seem fated to suffer repeated misfortune. The word also appears in everyday, non-supernatural usage, where people half-jokingly call a repeatedly failing appliance or a string of bad luck 'cursed'. Its connotations are dark and ominous, but colloquial use can be wry rather than solemn. Cursed functions chiefly as an adjective, though it originates as the past form of the verb 'to curse', meaning to invoke evil upon someone. It remains a staple of folklore, horror fiction, sports commentary about losing streaks, and everyday complaint alike.
Under a curse or believed to bring persistent misfortune.
"Legend held that anyone who stole the temple's gold would die cursed."
Pronounced as two syllables when adjectival; 'curst' is an archaic variant.
Past tense and past participle of 'curse': to invoke evil or harm upon someone or something.
"The old woman cursed the king and all his heirs."
Often pronounced with one syllable ('curst') in literary contexts.
In Shakespeare's plays you'll often see 'curst' instead of 'cursed' — a single brisk syllable that actors have been snapping out for over 400 years.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of cursed
Cursed derives from 'curse', a Middle English word (circa Old Norse-influenced 'kurs'/'cors') meaning to invoke evil or harm upon someone. The past participle 'cursed' came to function fully as an adjective by late Middle English. It shares its Germanic root lineage with related imprecation vocabulary, while Latin-derived synonyms such as 'malediction' (literally 'evil speaking') express the same concept from a Romance angle. The clipped form 'curst' survives in literary and poetic registers.
Related word forms
How cursed is actually used
As an adjective, cursed is pronounced with two syllables (/ˈkɜːrsɪd/); when it serves as the past tense of the verb 'to curse', it may be reduced to one syllable ('curst') especially in literary contexts. The word carries strong supernatural connotation but is also used figuratively and humorously about stubbornly malfunctioning objects or chronic misfortune.
Easily confused with cursed
Curst is an archaic or literary variant spelling/pronunciation of cursed (one syllable), most famously used by Shakespeare.