damnedest

[ dam-dist ]

/ ˈdæm dɪst /

Informal.

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noun

best; utmost: They did their damnedest to finish on time.

adjective

most amazing or extraordinary: It was the damnedest coincidence, running into her in Paris after all these years of avoiding each other in Atlanta.

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CAN YOU ANSWER THESE COMMON GRAMMAR DEBATES?

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Question 1 of 7

Which sentence is correct?

His boss, whom he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

His boss, who he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

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Origin of damnedest

First recorded in 1820–30; damned + -est¹

Words nearby damnedest

damnable, damnably, damnation, damnatory, damned, damnedest, damned if I do, damned if I don't, damnify, damning, damn straight, Damn the torpedoes

How to use damnedest in a sentence

"We do our damnedest to produce things with some sense of continuity," David says of the Dodgers.
New York’s Greatest Show Or How They Did Not Screw Up ‘Guys and Dolls’|Ross Wetzsteon|April 6, 2014|DAILY BEAST
I did my damnedest to argue that he ought to instead work with me.
‘The Finish’: Mark Bowden on the Hunt for Osama bin Laden|Doug Stanton|October 15, 2012|DAILY BEAST
From the first note to the last, he kept his cool and tried his damnedest to entertain those who cared to listen.
Doc Watson, a Legendary Picker, Was Traditional Music’s Best Ambassador|Malcolm Jones|May 30, 2012|DAILY BEAST
Newt Gingrich and Jon Huntsman did their damnedest to find out Monday.
Gingrich Wins Another One in Sleepy ‘Debate’ With Huntsman|McKay Coppins|December 13, 2011|DAILY BEAST

"That's the damnedest story I've ever heard, and in my racket you hear some honeys," Myers said, when he had finished.
Hunter Patrol|Henry Beam Piper and John J. McGuire
"I'll be gosh-darned ef that ain't the damnedest," said he, slowly.
Earth's Enigmas|Charles G. D. Roberts
And you, doctor, I want you to mix me a stiff powder for the damnedest headache that ever tangled my top-hamper.
Cursed|George Allan England
I've been a damn' fool if you want to know—the biggest, damnedest fool on the face of creation.
The Lamp in the Desert|Ethel M. Dell
"As we want to keep saying—as we want to keep fighting our damnedest to make sure they won't," Tom explained.
The Last Shot|Frederick Palmer

British Dictionary definitions for damnedest

damnedest

/ (ˈdæmdɪst) /

noun

informal utmost; best (esp in the phrases do or try one's damnedest)

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012