What does sentenced mean?
Sentenced is the past tense and past participle of the verb "sentence" and can also function as an adjective. In its principal legal sense, it means that a court has imposed a punishment on an offender: a person may be sentenced to prison, a fine, probation, or another prescribed penalty. The most severe familiar expression is "sentenced to death." Figuratively, the verb describes someone being doomed by circumstance to an unfortunate outcome, as in a project being "sentenced to failure." The participial adjective "sentenced" conveys the same ideas and is especially common in constructions such as "a man sentenced to life imprisonment." Although its legal use is formal and precise, the word is understood in general contexts, while figurative applications often give it a vivid, slightly dramatic quality.
To impose a judicial punishment on someone; figuratively, to condemn someone to an unavoidable or unwelcome fate.
"The judge sentenced the defendant to twelve months in prison."
The usual construction is "sentence someone to something," with the punishment given after "to."
Having been given a judicial punishment or condemned to a particular fate.
"The sentenced prisoner was transferred to a maximum-security facility."
This participial use commonly occurs in phrases such as "sentenced to life" and "sentenced to death."
The word can imprison a person—or doom them to an inevitable fate.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does sentenced come from?
The word derives from the verb "sentence," which entered English from Old French "sentencier," meaning to pronounce a judgment. That verb came from Latin "sententiāre," formed from "sententia," meaning an opinion, decision, or judicial sentence; the wider Latin root is associated with "sentīre," "to feel." Related English words include "sententious," "sentiment," and "sentient," all of which reflect the same Latin element meaning to feel or perceive.
Related word forms
How sentenced is actually used
In legal contexts, "sentenced" normally takes "to" followed by the punishment, as in "sentenced to five years in prison." It is less common to say that a court has "sentenced" someone without stating the penalty. Figurative uses, such as "sentenced to failure," are established but usually carry a rhetorical or literary tone.