damned
Americanadjective
-
condemned or doomed, especially to eternal punishment.
the wailing of damned souls.
-
detestable; loathsome.
Get that damned dog out of here!
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complete; absolute; utter.
a damned nuisance; a damned fool.
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Informal. extraordinary; amazing.
It was the damnedest thing I'd ever seen.
noun
adverb
idioms
adjective
adverb
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(intensifier)
a damned good try
a damned liar
I should damned well think so!
-
used to indicate amazement, disavowal, or refusal (in such phrases as I'll be damned and damned if I care )
Other Word Forms
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
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Instead, the young band just returned from dazzling audiences at Las Vegas’ Sick New World Festival and is focused on the release of its debut album — homework be damned.
From Los Angeles Times • May 21, 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
Many of our children’s favorite apps and social-media sites were built from the ground up to keep young users hooked and helpless to look away, consequences to their health and well-being be damned.
From MarketWatch • Mar. 27, 2026
How can Scotland beat Ireland when Ireland have such a stubborn insistence on being so damned good in this game?
From BBC • Mar. 14, 2026
It’s the end of another long day in some damned city or other—they all look about the same from a railroad siding—and the Flying Squadron is preparing to pull out.
From "Water for Elephants" by Sara Gruen
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.
