tarnation
Americaninterjection
noun
adverb
noun
Etymology
Origin of tarnation
First recorded in 1775–85; blend of ’tarnal, dialectal pronunciation of eternal, and darnation ( def. ) (“hell”); see damnation ( def. )
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Right now you’re all probably asking yourselves the same question: Who in tarnation is Adam Gelb, and what’s he doin’ in my Surge?
From Slate ● Jul. 26, 2025
“We need tolerance,” he was quoted as saying, “but good tarnation, there’s such a thing as taking it too far.”
From Washington Post ● Jun. 21, 2022
Column: What in tarnation is going on with Southern California sheriffs and coronavirus?
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 16, 2021
What in tarnation is the Writer’s Guild of America West?
From Slate ● Apr. 16, 2019
“I went all over tarnation to get those and all you wanted were some dead flowers?”
From "Moon Over Manifest" by Clare Vanderpool
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
