darned 1 of 2

variants also durned

darned

2 of 2

verb

past tense of darn
as in stitched
to close up with a series of interlacing stitches in the old days, holes in socks had to be darned by hand

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of darned
Adjective
Heck, as recently as 2023 Cinderella took over the whole darned Final Four, with the Miami Hurricanes, FAU and San Diego State barging in. Greg Cote updated March 23, Miami Herald, 23 Mar. 2026 The first revelation was apparently fine, but her mom blamed those darned permissive Jesuits at Holy Cross for the second. Neal Rubin, Freep.com, 13 Dec. 2025 Within days, the magic of agricultural alchemy will turn it all into the best darned fertilizer since God invented the chicken. Paul Cappiello, Louisville Courier Journal, 12 Dec. 2025 Let’s cruise another groomer and try to remember how to make a gosh darned turn. Frederick Dreier, Outside, 2 Dec. 2025 An allied assertion is that if AI generates foul code, tell the AI to get its act together and fix the darned stuff. Lance Eliot, Forbes.com, 18 Sep. 2025 America’s sweetheart doesn’t need any more good press from anyone—I’d bet my fortune that she could be elected Queen of Tennessee, Constitution-be-darned, if elections were held today. Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 1 July 2025
Verb
Others proclaim that we should be darned happy that AI seems to work. Lance Eliot, Forbes.com, 1 June 2026 Much is made of the iconography of the character of Mary Poppins — one of cinema's most famous, hyperbole be darned — but perhaps not enough is owed to how Julie Andrews, on the cusp of 30, simultaneously brought green charisma and decades of wisdom to the magical, practical nanny. Darren Franich, Entertainment Weekly, 15 Mar. 2026 If only that darned Joseph Stalin hadn’t come along. Emily McClanathan, Chicago Tribune, 10 Mar. 2026 More holes had been worn through the holes that had been darned. Literary Hub, 23 Oct. 2025 The Triumph was, and still is, honest, authentic, and darned-near bulletproof. Robert Ross, Robb Report, 29 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for darned
Adjective
  • But my concern about my present writing quality is getting in the way of just telling a freaking story.
    Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 16 July 2026
  • Better believe that those freaking coaches made The List, too.
    Sean Keeler, Denver Post, 14 July 2026
Verb
  • Bleeding is stopped, and the torn outer covering is stitched back together.
    Angela Haupt, Time, 22 July 2026
  • In a flyby maneuver earlier this year, Psyche used the planet’s gravity to reshape its trajectory, all while capturing images that NASA has stitched into a mesmerizing time-lapse video.
    Sam Macdonald, Scientific American, 21 July 2026
Adjective
  • Images of shape-shifting witches and cursed doors blur the lines between reality and the twins’ childlike imagination.
    Jude Noel, Pitchfork, 22 July 2026
  • Deadites will rise from the cursed pages of the Necronomicon as Evil Dead Burn becomes the latest house confirmed for this year’s Halloween Horror Nights.
    Abbey White, HollywoodReporter, 21 July 2026
Verb
  • The nerves can be sutured back together to minimize pain, Bank said, but most breast surgeons haven’t been trained to do this.
    CNN Money, CNN Money, 11 Apr. 2026
  • The nerves can be sutured back together to minimize pain, Bank said, but most breast surgeons haven’t been trained to do this.
    Brett Kelman, USA Today, 4 Apr. 2026
Adjective
  • Kristal was the great love of his life (and a darn good con woman).
    Oline H. Cogdill, Sun Sentinel, 28 Apr. 2026
  • Most of all, Gates proclaimed time and time again just how darn special Huntington Beach is.
    Gustavo Arellano, Los Angeles Times, 9 Apr. 2026
Verb
  • And injuries that once ended careers can now be repaired through outpatient procedures.
    Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 15 July 2026
  • But anyone that’s had it in their possession knows the value, it can actually be repaired for about $100.
    Larry Holder, New York Times, 15 July 2026
Adjective
  • Torres – one of Barcelona’s key men up front – had been having an awful tournament, missing a plethora of chances throughout Spain’s campaign and being benched after starting against Cape Verde.
    Patrick Sung Cuadrado, CNN Money, 20 July 2026
  • In a clearing in the forest, his younger selves sit at a long table with the abbott, who is wearing the final boss of season three’s awful wigs.
    Rebecca Alter, Vulture, 20 July 2026
Adjective
  • Why do some people stay in terrible, horrible, no good, very bad jobs?
    Joseph Kim, NPR, 22 July 2026
  • Three years ago, Victor Wembanyama was terrible, and Houston’s Cam Whitmore won Summer MVP.
    John Hollinger, New York Times, 22 July 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Darned.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/darned. Accessed 24 Jul. 2026.

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