damnedest

American  

[dam-dist] / ˈdæm dɪst /

noun

1. best; utmost.

   They did their damnedest to finish on time.

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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 )

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Etymology

Origin of damnedest

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

Example Sentences

But really, Reijn is doing her damnedest to get a moral rise out of us.

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 24, 2024

"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

Bernard called it “controlled confidence,” and it looked just as much like unmitigated energy, and the whole dance reached its hilt in the damnedest sequence amid the third quarter.

From Washington Post • Nov. 13, 2021

The first couple tried their damnedest to make life better for all, especially those mired in poverty and racial discrimination.

From New York Times • Mar. 16, 2021

Sometimes I walk the wall with Ida, who tries her damnedest to draw me into conversation, to no avail.

From "Dread Nation" by Justina Ireland