1
: damnable
this damned smog
3
: extraordinary
—used in the superlative
the damnedest contraption you ever saw
Synonyms
Adjective
- absolute
- all-out
- arrant
- blank
- blooming [chiefly British]
- bodacious [Southern & Midland]
- categorical
- categoric
- clean
- complete
- consummate
- crashing
- damn
- dead
- deadly
- definite
- downright
- dreadful
- fair
- flat
- flat-out
- out-and-out
- outright
- perfect
- plumb
- profound
- pure
- rank
- regular
- sheer
- simple
- stark
- stone
- straight-out
- thorough
- thoroughgoing
- total
- unadulterated
- unalloyed
- unconditional
- unmitigated
- unqualified
- utter
- very
Adverb
- achingly
- almighty
- archly
- awful
- awfully
- badly
- beastly
- blisteringly
- bone
- colossally
- corking
- cracking
- damn
- dang
- deadly
- desperately
- eminently
- enormously
- especially
- ever
- exceedingly
- exceeding
- extra
- extremely
- fabulously
- fantastically
- far
- fiercely
- filthy
- frightfully
- full
- greatly
- heavily
- highly
- hugely
- immensely
- incredibly
- intensely
- jolly
- majorly
- mightily
- mighty
- monstrous [chiefly dialect]
- mortally
- most
- much
- particularly
- passing
- rattling
- real
- really
- right
- roaring
- roaringly
- seriously
- severely
- so
- sore
- sorely
- spanking
- specially
- stinking
- such
- super
- supremely
- surpassingly
- terribly
- that
- thumping
- too
- unco
- uncommonly
- vastly
- very
- vitally
- way
- whacking
- wicked
- wildly
Examples of damned in a Sentence
Adjective
only a damned fool would say such a thing
Adverb
it's a damned fine day
Recent Examples on the Web
Jack Moffitt, The Hollywood Reporter, 9 Mar. 2023
There is no constituency for the financially damned.
—Ron Lieber, New York Times, 30 Dec. 2023
Traversal too, is more of the same, but that’s hard to knock when swinging around the city as Spider-Man feels this damned good.
—Christopher Cruz, Rolling Stone, 16 Oct. 2023
Since being found guilty in January 2022 of defrauding investors in her blood-testing startup, Holmes has been trying her damnedest to stay out of prison.
—Andrea Marks, Rolling Stone, 17 May 2023
Getty Images Could a single blood test detect a multitude of potential cancers—early enough to give you not just a fighting chance, but the most optimal opportunity to beat the damned thing?
—Erin Prater, Fortune Well, 9 Apr. 2023
The one-off Tonale is Alfa's answer to tired parents who want to maintain the elegance of a luxury vehicle but are just too damned tired to clean the thing.
—Jack Fitzgerald, Car and Driver, 28 Mar. 2023
Watching the actress do her damnedest to channel Lucille Ball — to the point of engaging in a vigorous grape stomping scene!
—Frank Scheck, The Hollywood Reporter, 12 Apr. 2023
Baseball season has begun, and despite the Opening Day loss to the damned Yankees, hope remains high for the Orange and Black.
—Kevin Fisher-Paulson, San Francisco Chronicle, 11 Apr. 2023
Maureen Lee Lenker, EW.com, 28 Feb. 2024
Funny at times, but still pretty damned disturbing.
—Will Harris, EW.com, 20 Oct. 2023
But here’s the thing: When deer season starts winding down, the days that are left can be pretty damned good.
—Outdoor Life, 19 Nov. 2019
That, in fact, is what makes this deceptively placid, supremely wry movie so damned moving.
—David Fear, Rolling Stone, 1 Sep. 2023
That’s pretty damned impressive.
—Gordon Monson, The Salt Lake Tribune, 13 Jan. 2022
Funny at times, for sure, but still pretty damned disturbing.
—Will Harris, EW.com, 20 Jan. 2023
And its death is both spectacular as well as just plain old damned weird.
—Phil Plait, Discover Magazine, 10 Oct. 2012
But despite the lingering feeling that there could be something more there, God of War Ragnarök is still damned good.
—Christopher Cruz, Rolling Stone, 3 Nov. 2022
Adjective
When the disillusioned brother leaves for the war, the father suffers a stroke and Cal Trask, cut off from his father’s love, seems permanently enlisted in the ranks of the damned.
—Jack Moffitt, The Hollywood Reporter, 9 Mar. 2023
There is no constituency for the financially damned.
—Ron Lieber, New York Times, 30 Dec. 2023
Traversal too, is more of the same, but that’s hard to knock when swinging around the city as Spider-Man feels this damned good.
—Christopher Cruz, Rolling Stone, 16 Oct. 2023
Since being found guilty in January 2022 of defrauding investors in her blood-testing startup, Holmes has been trying her damnedest to stay out of prison.
—Andrea Marks, Rolling Stone, 17 May 2023
Getty Images Could a single blood test detect a multitude of potential cancers—early enough to give you not just a fighting chance, but the most optimal opportunity to beat the damned thing?
—Erin Prater, Fortune Well, 9 Apr. 2023
The one-off Tonale is Alfa's answer to tired parents who want to maintain the elegance of a luxury vehicle but are just too damned tired to clean the thing.
—Jack Fitzgerald, Car and Driver, 28 Mar. 2023
Watching the actress do her damnedest to channel Lucille Ball — to the point of engaging in a vigorous grape stomping scene!
—Frank Scheck, The Hollywood Reporter, 12 Apr. 2023
Baseball season has begun, and despite the Opening Day loss to the damned Yankees, hope remains high for the Orange and Black.
—Kevin Fisher-Paulson, San Francisco Chronicle, 11 Apr. 2023
Adverb
Calla is trying her damned best not to sound angry.
—Maureen Lee Lenker, EW.com, 28 Feb. 2024
Funny at times, but still pretty damned disturbing.
—Will Harris, EW.com, 20 Oct. 2023
But here’s the thing: When deer season starts winding down, the days that are left can be pretty damned good.
—Outdoor Life, 19 Nov. 2019
That, in fact, is what makes this deceptively placid, supremely wry movie so damned moving.
—David Fear, Rolling Stone, 1 Sep. 2023
That’s pretty damned impressive.
—Gordon Monson, The Salt Lake Tribune, 13 Jan. 2022
Funny at times, for sure, but still pretty damned disturbing.
—Will Harris, EW.com, 20 Jan. 2023
And its death is both spectacular as well as just plain old damned weird.
—Phil Plait, Discover Magazine, 10 Oct. 2012
But despite the lingering feeling that there could be something more there, God of War Ragnarök is still damned good.
—Christopher Cruz, Rolling Stone, 3 Nov. 2022
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'damned.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
Phrases Containing damned
Dictionary Entries Near damned
Cite this Entry
“Damned.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/damned. Accessed 19 Apr. 2024.
Copy Citation
More from Merriam-Webster on damned
Nglish: Translation of damned for Spanish Speakers
Britannica English: Translation of damned for Arabic Speakers
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