damned

American  

[damd] / dæmd /

adjective

damnedest, superlative damndest superlative

1. condemned or doomed, especially to eternal punishment.

   the wailing of damned souls.

2. detestable; loathsome.

   Get that damned dog out of here!

3. complete; absolute; utter.

   a damned nuisance; a damned fool.

4. Informal. extraordinary; amazing.

   It was the damnedest thing I'd ever seen.

---

noun

1. the damned, those condemned to suffer eternal punishment.

adverb

1. extremely; very; absolutely.

   a damned good singer; too damned lazy.

idioms

1. damned well, certainly or without doubt; emphatically: Also damn well.

   You damned well better say you're sorry!

damned British  

/ dæmd /

adjective

1. 1. condemned to hell

   2. ( as noun )

      the damned

---

adverb

1. (intensifier)

   a damned good try

   a damned liar

   I should damned well think so!

2. used to indicate amazement, disavowal, or refusal (in such phrases as I'll be damned and damned if I care )

Other Word Forms

Inflected Forms

adjective

• damnedest
  superlative
• damndest
  superlative

Etymology

Origin of damned

First recorded in 1350–1400, damned is from the Middle English word dam(p)ned. See damn, -ed ²

Example Sentences

Nature be damned, tech entrepreneurs like Bryan Johnson are all in on biohacking.

From Barron's • May 21, 2026

For Massie's supporters, it's evidence of the congressman's willingness to fight for his principles, consequences be damned.

From BBC • May 18, 2026

Drake is a rococo master of self-pity, but damned if he doesn’t have a real reason for it this time.

From Los Angeles Times • May 15, 2026

This is the question hanging over Shulman, the co-founder and CEO of AI music-generator Suno, who thinks anyone with a laptop should be able to create music—piano or guitar lessons be damned.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 28, 2026

“I’ll be damned, girl,” he said, pushing his hair back off his brow.

From "Out of Darkness" by Ashley Hope Pérez

Related Words

• darned
• lousy