damnedest
1
8.6
- adverb
- /ˈdæm.dɪst/
- NSFW
- He did his damnedest to impress the judges at the talent show.
Examples
-
I'll try my damnedest to finish the project by the deadline.
-
I'LL DO MY DAMNEDEST.
-
She gave it her damnedest to win the championship this year.
Synonyms
∞
7.5
Shows that something is very strong or important
340
1.4
To show strong feeling or degree
306
5.6
Said to make something sound very strong
41
4.4
Adds emphasis to say something is very strong
24
3.9
To a very high degree
15
9.9
A word people use to mean very
12
6.0
To emphasize something, like saying very
5
8.6
Put before a word to show mild annoyance or strong feeling
2
7.8
To try very hard to do something
1
9.9
Used to show that something is the most complete or extreme example
1
9.9
Very surprising and impressive and said in a rude way
1
9.9
Very extreme and surprising that people use to show strong feeling
1
9.0
Used before a word to show mild anger or surprise
Idioms
How Intense
Surface Forms
Morphology
damnedest = damned (transparent) = damn + ed + est
The use as an intensifying degree ('extremely') follows directly from the adjectival intensifier 'damned' with superlative marking.
Etymology
Damnedest as an adverb is used like a very strong 'very'. It comes from damn ('to blame') and the ending -est works like in best, so damnedest is a way to say 'extremely'.