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damnedest

American  
[dam-dist] / ˈdæm dɪst /

noun

  1. best; utmost.

    They did their damnedest to finish on time.


adjective

  1. most amazing or extraordinary.

    It was the damnedest coincidence, running into her in Paris after all these years of avoiding each other in Atlanta.

damnedest British  
/ ˈdæmdɪst /

noun

  1. informal utmost; best (esp in the phrases do or try one's damnedest )

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of damnedest

First recorded in 1820–30; damned + -est 1

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.

See Examples For:

Then again, as you noted, “The Eras Tour” is doing its damnedest to give movie theaters a badly needed shot of adrenaline.

From Los Angeles Times Oct. 12, 2023

“We’re doing our damnedest to get this right,” said Steven Siegel, a board member of the Colorado Healing Fund.

From New York Times Jun. 25, 2023

"It can't achieve strategic surprise but it will try its damnedest to achieve operational and tactical surprise. That will involve concealment, camouflage, deception, misinformation which they used quite successfully last autumn."

From Reuters Jun. 14, 2023

“We will do our damnedest but it’s hard to fight them all.”

From Seattle Times Aug. 18, 2022

“That’s not from you. I slipped and fell on a rock right after you left. It was the damnedest thing!”

From "Where Things Come Back" by John Corey Whaley

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