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darnedest

darnedest

7.8
To try very hard to do something
  • adjective
  • /ˈdɑrnɪdɪst/
  • Informal
translation icon : máximo esfuerzo
  • She tried her darnedest to finish the project on time.

Examples

  • I will give it my darnedest this weekend!

  • He tried his darnedest to solve the puzzle before the timer ran out.

  • They gave their darnedest performance at the championship game.

  • She did her darnedest to make everyone feel welcome at the party.

  • She gave her darnedest to finish the project on time.

  • He tried his darnedest to win the game for his team.

  • I did my darnedest to keep the surprise party a secret.

Synonyms

damned
vsdarnedest
  • NSFW
300 5.6

Said to make something sound very strong

is stronger, used for the greatest possible degree often with humor
darned
vsdarnedest
  • Informal
27 7.4

An informal word that makes a feeling stronger, for example very tired

is much stronger, used to stress the greatest effort or degree
damndest
vsdarnedest
  • NSFW
4 8.6

A great effort to try as hard as possible

is used more broadly for degree and humorous emphasis, not only effort
darndest
vsdarnedest
  • Informal
1 9.1

To try as hard as possible

is the same meaning but spelled with an extra letter
damnedest
vsdarnedest
  • NSFW
8.6

To try very hard to do something

also adds a humorous tone and can stress effort rather than only degree

Idioms

to put one's darnedest
  • Informal
7.8

To try as hard as possible to do something

Compounds

darnedest effort
  • Informal
7.5

The hardest effort someone can give

How Much Effort

darnedest
  • Informal
7.8
application
22 3.4
to try
∞ 1.0
least effort
1 3.4

Surface Forms

darnedest positive

Morphology

darnedest = darned (semi-transparent) = darn + ed + est

Morphologically formed by adding the superlative '-est' to 'darned', a standard adjectival formation.

Etymology

Darnedest comes from the mild word darn, a softer form of damn that people used to add force to a sentence. When someone says 'do your darnedest', they mean 'do your very best', so that is why it now means the greatest possible effort.