Pick the ultra-formal, somewhat rare word "condign" when you want to emphasize how certain punishments or natural consequences are especially appropriate.

And almost always, it's punishment, specifically, that we call "condign." But we can also talk about condign consequences, condign reprimands, or other condign things caused by bad behavior. Or to be sarcastic: condign rewards, or condign prizes.

Let's consider some examples. When a kid who's old enough to know better steals a candy bar from a 7-11, then has to return it and stammer out a shame-faced apology to the staff, that's condign punishment. When a celebrity behaves like a Nazi, then loses a hefty chunk of their followers, that's condign punishment. When two households, both alike in dignity, engage in a pointless and bloody feud for years, which only stops when they each suffer the loss of a young family member: condign punishment. When this teenager who knocked over a porta-potty is court-ordered to "scoop manure at a local fair and parade"? Oh yeah, that's condign punishment.

"Whatever you think of American capitalism, one of its redeeming features is the aggressive pursuit and condign punishment of those who abuse, rig and defraud markets." 
 — Andrew Rawnsley, The Guardian, 30 June 2012

"Oberlin College has an admirable liberal past and a contemptible progressive present that will devalue its degrees far into the future. This is condign punishment for the college's mendacity about helping to incite a mob mentality and collective bullying."
   — George F. Will, Washington Post, 19 June 2019

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study it:

Explain the meaning of "condign" without saying "deserved" or "fitting."

try it out:

When you call a punishment condign, you're likely rather pleased to see justice served. ("Yeah! Take that! Serves you right!") You may even feel a touch of Schadenfreude, or pleasure resulting from the wrongdoer's pain.

For example, in this video on Reddit, a man approaches a stingray and cruelly steps on it, not once but several times. The stingray (you guessed it) stings him. And the comments section is full of people cheering for such a condign punishment.

According to WebMD, stingrays are "gentle and shy," only stinging humans when attacked. And their "small spines contain venom and can penetrate a human's skin," leading to "swelling and pain that might last multiple days to weeks," and potentially "life-threatening shock."

In your opinion, was the man's punishment condign? Why or why not?

If you like, use this space to write. (To save your work, copy and paste it into an email or a document.)

before you review, play:

Try to spend 20 seconds or more on the game below. Don’t skip straight to the review—first, let your working memory empty out.

Our game for this month is Confounding Contronyms!

In each issue, I'll give you two quotes, each with a blank. The same word goes in both blanks—but it means opposite things. Your job is to come up with that word: that slippery little contronym. To see the hints, highlight the hidden white text. To see the answer, scroll to the bottom.

Try this today:

Quote 1: "Finally, in July, a _____ed panel [of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial] was trucked up from Tennessee and carefully put in place."
   — Elizabeth Partridge, Boots on the Ground: America's War in Vietnam, 2018

Quote 2: "Even now, as affirmative action is _____ed in California and is being challenged in many other states, nobody is really saying what was wrong with affirmative action."
   — Richard Rodriguez, Salon, 10 November 1997

Hint 1: This word starts with the letter... F.

Hint 2: This word means both... "fully completed" and "fully destroyed."

review this word:

1. The opposite of CONDIGN could be

A. UNWELL or BEDRIDDEN.
B. SOLITARY or HERMETIC (choosing to live in seclusion).
C. INAPPROPRIATE or RHADAMANTHINE (too severe in punishment).

2. You might call it condign punishment when a citizen who votes for a candidate that promises to detain and deport people _____.

A. is demoted at work
B. is then detained himself
C. is pressured to accept a job to aid in the deportations

Answers to the review questions: 1. C 2. B From the game: finished.

a final word:

I hope you're enjoying Make Your Point. It's made with love. I'm Liesl Johnson, a reading and writing tutor on a mission to explore, illuminate, and celebrate words. From my blog: On vocabulary...       36 ways to study words.       Why we forget words, & how to remember them.       How to use sophisticated words without being awkward. On writing...       How to improve any sentence.       How to motivate our kids to write.       How to stop procrastinating and start writing.       How to bulk up your writing when you have to meet a word count. From my heart: a profound thanks to the generous patrons, donors, and sponsors that make it possible for me to write these emails. If you'd like to be a patron or a donor, please click here. If you'd like to be a sponsor and include your ad in an issue, please contact me at Liesl@HiloTutor.com. A disclaimer: When I write definitions, I use plain language and stick to the words' common, useful applications. If you're interested in authoritative and multiple definitions of words, I encourage you to check a dictionary. Also, because I'm American, I stick to American English when I share words' meanings, usage, and pronunciations; these elements sometimes vary across world Englishes.