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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:

He scored 29 points in the fourth quarter, a post-season record that still stands despite future Warriors like Stephen Curry and Kevin Durant trying their damnedest to knock it down.

From Los Angeles Times Apr. 4, 2025

"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

Much of the evening was a tug of war between the bands doing their damnedest to keep the crowd engaged and fans pulling back to an understandably rigid posture.

From Seattle Times May 13, 2021

“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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