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
SpaceX’s stock is soggy because there is just so darned much of it about to hit the market. Jim Cramer, CNBC, 2 Aug. 2026 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
  • And that's what Simon hasn't learned how to do yet, which is to just go and get a freaking life.
    Anthony Robledo, USA Today, 31 July 2026
  • 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
Verb
  • While Anthropic looks to be overtaking OpenAI at the moment, OpenAI is still solidly stitched into the fabric of the AI buildout, and analysts don’t think the company is going anywhere.
    Tobias Burns, CNBC, 19 Aug. 2026
  • Concentric circles are stitched onto each side of the collar, and both the tongue and underside of the netting appear to be rendered in a reflective 3M material.
    Ian Servantes, Footwear News, 18 Aug. 2026
Adjective
  • Abdurraqib’s point, though, appears to be that the curse might be a blessing in disguise, or at least that our attempts to outrun the curse might be more cursed than the curse itself.
    Katy Waldman, New Yorker, 19 Aug. 2026
  • In the press, Duleep was seen as another victim of the cursed Koh-i-Noor, instead of the British Empire.
    Hadley Hall Meares, Vanity Fair, 17 Aug. 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 surgeon sutured the wounds but knew the arm would have to be amputated.
    Sarah El Deeb, Chicago Tribune, 27 Feb. 2026
Adjective
  • August 29, 2025 Bravo Expect to find the freshest scallops, shrimp, and a darn good natural leaning wine list to match.
    Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 14 Aug. 2026
  • Kristal was the great love of his life (and a darn good con woman).
    Oline H. Cogdill, Sun Sentinel, 28 Apr. 2026
Verb
  • When researchers tested concrete masonry walls with fire on one face, those walls retained roughly 46% of their compressive strength, enough that they can be stabilized and repaired.
    Giorgia Giardina, The Conversation, 13 Aug. 2026
  • Within a year of being pummeled by Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Irpin’s prestigious State Tax University had been mostly repaired.
    Howard LaFranchi, Christian Science Monitor, 11 Aug. 2026
Adjective
  • The disease still makes lots of people feel awful for a week or two, foiling their summer vacations and forcing them to miss work and school.
    Rob Stein, NPR, 14 Aug. 2026
  • Singing in the shower, gardening, baking, and writing poetry (yes, even awful poetry) are all good options.
    Laura Bradley, HEALTH, 14 Aug. 2026
Adjective
  • That is not saying that her kids are terrible, lazy, ugly, addicted to TikTok, or caught shoplifting at Brandy Melville.
    Brian Moylan, Vulture, 19 Aug. 2026
  • The arena isn’t terrible but is below average by NHL standards.
    Josh Yohe, New York Times, 19 Aug. 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Darned.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/darned. Accessed 21 Aug. 2026.

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