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damn fool

damn fool

17 8.2
A person who acts very stupidly or recklessly
  • noun
  • /dæm fuːl/
  • Offensive
translation icon : idiota
  • He watched the movie The Great Escape and the damn fool tried to jump an ATV over the fence like Steve bloody McQueen.
  • make a damn fool
  • acted like a damn fool
  • look like a damn fool

And he says that damn fool Rash Deckard says he actually doesn't know.

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Examples

  • He's a damn fool.

  • Pretty typical of my damn fool self that I didn't think much about it at the time.

    Fiction book (1997)
  • That boy is a damn fool.

  • "I feel like a damn fool," I said.

    Fiction book (1994)
  • I was a damn fool.

    Fiction book (1993)
  • The damn fool ended up just leaving the state, getting a job over in Tennessee.

    Fiction book (2001)
  • I think you're a damn fool.

  • Don't be a damn fool, Joe.

  • They made damn fools out of us.

  • He acted like a damn fool when he decided to jump off the roof.

Synonyms

fool
vsdamn fool
  • Offensive
1.4

A person who makes poor decisions and is easily tricked

is stronger, showing very reckless or thoughtless behaviour rather than general poor judgment
idiot
vsdamn fool
  • Offensive
1.2

A person who acts very stupidly, used as an insult

stresses reckless action and thoughtlessness rather than low intelligence alone
bozo
vsdamn fool
  • Offensive
59 8.8

A person who behaves in a silly or careless way

is more negative and implies reckless or thoughtless behaviour rather than comic incompetence
chowderhead
vsdamn fool
  • Offensive
3 9.9

A person who behaves in a silly or stupid way

is more severe, indicating reckless or thoughtless conduct not just silliness
dumbhead
vsdamn fool
  • Offensive
1 9.8

A rude word for a person who is very stupid

adds stronger sense of reckless, thoughtless behaviour beyond simple stupidity
dumdum
vsdamn fool
  • Offensive
1 8.8

A person who acts in a silly or foolish way

is harsher, implying very reckless or thoughtless action rather than mere silliness
dumb cluck
vsdamn fool
  • Offensive
1 9.8

A person who acts in a silly or foolish way

is stronger, pointing to very reckless or thoughtless action rather than casual foolishness
blubberhead
vsdamn fool
  • Offensive
1 9.9

A person who behaves in a foolish way

is harsher, describing very reckless and thoughtless behaviour rather than mild silliness
tomfool
vsdamn fool
  • Offensive
1 9.9

A person who acts silly and does not think carefully

is more negative, focusing on reckless and thoughtless actions rather than mere silliness
total nozzer
vsdamn fool
  • Offensive
9.9

A person who acts very foolishly and cannot do simple tasks

adds a sense of reckless or thoughtless action beyond mere incompetence
total fuckmuppet
vsdamn fool
  • Offensive
9.9

A person who acts very foolishly and makes many mistakes

matches intensity but focuses on reckless and thoughtless actions specifically
total fuck-knuckle
vsdamn fool
  • Offensive
9.9

A person who is very foolish and bad at what they do

is similar in harshness but highlights reckless or thoughtless behaviour
barney
vsdamn fool
  • Offensive
8.8

A person who behaves in a silly or foolish way

is harsher, implying dangerous or reckless thoughtless action rather than light silliness
der-brain
vsdamn fool
  • Offensive
9.9

A person who acts foolishly or forgets things

focuses more on reckless or thoughtless behaviour rather than forgetfulness
flannelled fool
vsdamn fool
  • Offensive
9.9

A person who behaves carelessly and speaks without thinking

stresses active recklessness and thoughtless acts rather than clothing or style
McStupid
vsdamn fool
  • Offensive
9.9

A rude slang name for someone who acts foolish or makes silly mistakes

is more severe, indicating genuinely reckless, thoughtless actions rather than self mockery
bum head
vsdamn fool
  • Offensive
9.9

A person who behaves in a silly or careless way

is stronger, pointing to very reckless and thoughtless behaviour rather than playful teasing

Antonyms

66 4.2

A man respected for good judgment who gives advice to others

How Foolish

idiot
  • Offensive
1.2
damn fool
  • Offensive
17 8.2
fool
  • Offensive
1.4
silly
976 1.0

Surface Forms

damn fool singular
damn fools plural

Morphology

damn + fool

The phrase is a straightforward combination of 'damn' as an intensifier and 'fool' as a person who acts unwisely, so the overall meaning 'a very foolish person' is directly derivable from the constituents. This intensifier + noun pattern is common cross-linguistically and follows normal compositional rules (aside from the colloquial/vulgar register of 'damn'), making it comprehensible to a B1 learner who knows both words.

Etymology

Damn fool pictures a person who acts so thoughtless or reckless that others feel they should be 'damned', by combining damn and fool. So the noun means 'a person who acts very foolishly'.