Damn — Meaning, Definition & Synonyms

verb noun adjective or adverb adjective adverb /ˈdam/

Meaning & Definition of Damn

Damn (verb)

  1. to condemn to a punishment or fate; especially, to condemn to hell
  2. to condemn vigorously and often irascibly for some real or fancied fault or defect
  3. to condemn as a failure by public criticism

Damn (noun)

  1. the utterance of the word damn as a curse
  2. a minimum amount or degree (as of care or consideration), the least bit

Damn (adjective or adverb)

  1. damned

Damn (adjective) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

  1. having no exceptions or restrictions

    "that dilapidated house is a damn eyesore and should be torn down"

    similar: absolute, all-out, arrant, blank, blooming (chiefly British), bodacious (Southern & Midland), categorical, clean, complete, consummate, crashing, damned, dead, deadly, definite, downright, dreadful, fair, flat, flat-out, out-and-out, outright, perfect, plumb, profound, pure, rank, regular, sheer, simple, stark, stone, straight-out, thorough, thoroughgoing, total, unadulterated, unalloyed, unconditional, unmitigated, unqualified, utter, very
    related: authentic, classic, genuine, real, veritable, constant, endless, eternal, perpetual, undying, unremitting, extreme, unrestricted, confirmed, habitual, hopeless, inveterate, extraordinary, frightful, horrible, huge, main, superlative, supreme, surpassing, terrible, terrific
    near: doubtful, dubious, equivocal, qualified, questionable, restricted, uncertain

Damn (adverb) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

  1. to a great degree

    "told her she'd never get married because she was too damn picky"

    similar: achingly, almighty, archly, awful, awfully, badly, beastly, blisteringly, bone, colossally, corking, cracking, damned, dang, deadly, desperately, eminently, enormously, especially, ever, exceedingly, extra, extremely, fabulously, fantastically, far, fiercely, filthy, frightfully, full, greatly, heavily, highly, hugely, immensely, incredibly, intensely, jolly, majorly, mightily, mighty, monstrous (chiefly dialect), mortally, most, much, particularly, passing, rattling, real, really, right, roaring, roaringly, seriously, severely, so, sore, sorely, spanking, specially, stinking, such, super, supremely, surpassingly, terribly, that, thumping, too, unco, uncommonly, vastly, very, vitally, way, whacking, wicked, wildly, a lot, as all get-out, good and
    related: absolutely, altogether, completely, downright, entirely, flat-out, fully, positively, purely, radically, thoroughly, totally, utterly, wholly, deeply, profoundly, exceptionally, notably, remarkably, considerably, extensively, significantly, substantially, appreciably, discernibly, markedly, noticeably, obviously, palpably, plainly, visibly, abundantly, plentifully, astronomically, grandly, monstrously, monumentally, excessively, obscenely, overmuch, amazingly, astonishingly, staggeringly
    opposite: little, negligibly, nominally, slightly, somewhat
    near: meagerly, scantily, barely, hardly, just, marginally, minimally, scarcely

Damn (noun) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

  1. the smallest amount or part imaginable

    "I don't want to hear about your problems—I just don't give a damn"

    similar: beans, bubkes, continental, darn, diddly (slang), diddly-squat (slang), doodley-squat, fig, ghost, hoot, iota, jot, lick, modicum, rap, squat (slang), syllable, tittle, whit, whoop
    related: ace, bit, crumb, dab, driblet, glimmer, hint, little, mite, nip, ounce, particle, peanuts, pin, ray, scrap, scruple, semblance, shade, shadow, shred, skosh, smidgen, snap, speck, spot, sprinkling, strain, streak, suspicion, touch, trace

Damn (verb) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

  1. to use profane or obscene language at or about

    "damned the car for once again breaking down"

    similar: curse
    related: imprecate, maledict, criticize, reprove, admonish, chide, rebuke, reprimand, reproach, blame, censure, reprehend, reprobate
    near: bless, extol, glorify, laud, magnify, praise, acclaim, applaud, commend, compliment, hail, salute

  2. to declare to be morally wrong or evil

    "a heresy that was quickly damned by a hastily called church council"

    similar: anathematize, censure, condemn, decry, denounce, execrate, reprehend, reprobate
    related: attack, blame, blast, criticize, dis (slang), dispraise, fault, knock, pan, slam, belittle, deprecate, disparage, doom, sentence, convict, blacklist, excommunicate, ostracize, castigate, chastise, rebuke, reprimand, reproach, admonish, chide, reprove, berate, lambaste, rake, scold, upbraid, vituperate, curse, imprecate, abhor, abominate, detest, hate, loathe, revile
    opposite: bless
    near: approve, endorse, sanction, eulogize, exalt, extol, glorify, laud, praise, acclaim, applaud, commend, hail, salute, tout, consecrate, hallow, sanctify, honor, revere, venerate

  3. to impose a judicial punishment on

    "damned him to life in prison without the possibility of parole"

    similar: condemn, doom, sentence
    related: adjudge, judge, castigate, censure, chasten, chastise, correct, discipline, penalize, punish, conclude, decide, decree, determine, find, opine, resolve, rule
    near: pardon, reprieve

Related Entry: Damn well (phrase)

Damn well is a different word from Damn. The synonyms below are for damn well, not for damn.

  1. without any question

    "He damn well better show up on time."

    similar: all right, alright, assuredly, certainly, clearly, definitely, doubtless, easily, forsooth, hands down, inarguably, incontestably, incontrovertibly, indeed, indisputably, plainly, really, so, sure, surely, truly, unarguably, undeniably, undoubtedly, unquestionably, by all means, by all odds, for certain, for sure
    related: conceivably, likely, perhaps, possibly, probably, obviously, unmistakably

Synonyms, Thesaurus & Another Word for Damn

The most common words with a similar meaning to Damn:

Slang: diddly, diddly-squat, squat
Chiefly British: blooming
Southern & Midland: bodacious
Chiefly dialect: monstrous
absolute, all-out, arrant, blank, categorical, clean, complete, consummate, crashing, damned, dead, deadly, definite, downright, dreadful, fair, flat, flat-out, out-and-out, outright, perfect, plumb, profound, pure, rank, regular, sheer, simple, stark, stone, straight-out, thorough, thoroughgoing, total, unadulterated, unalloyed, unconditional, unmitigated, unqualified, utter

Antonyms & Opposite Words for Damn

Words with the opposite meaning of Damn:

little, negligibly, nominally, slightly, somewhat, bless

Related Words for Damn

authentic, classic, genuine, veritable, constant, endless, eternal, perpetual, undying, unremitting, extreme, unrestricted, confirmed, habitual, hopeless, inveterate, extraordinary, frightful, horrible, huge, main, superlative, supreme, surpassing, terrible, terrific, absolutely, altogether, completely, entirely

Near Antonyms of Damn

doubtful, dubious, equivocal, qualified, questionable, restricted, uncertain, meagerly, scantily, barely, hardly, just, marginally, minimally, scarcely, extol, glorify, laud, magnify, praise, acclaim, applaud, commend, compliment, hail, salute, approve, endorse, sanction, eulogize

Word Forms of Damn

Inflections: damned, damning

Origin & Etymology of Damn

Middle English dampnen, from Anglo-French dampner, from Latin damnare, from damnum damage, loss, fine

First known use: 14th centuryt

Words & Phrases Containing Damn

damn well, damn with faint praise, damn it, damn near, damn right, tinker's damn, as near as damn it

Frequently Asked Questions about Damn

What does "Damn" mean?

"Damn" means to condemn to a punishment or fate; especially, to condemn to hell. As an a verb, a noun, an adjective or adverb, an adjective and an adverb, it is defined as: to condemn to a punishment or fate; especially, to condemn to hell. It has 6 distinct senses.

What is another word for "Damn"?

Other words for "Damn" include absolute, all-out, arrant, blank, blooming, bodacious, categorical and clean. The best synonym depends on which meaning of "Damn" you intend.

What are different ways to say "Damn"?

There are 305 words and phrases with a similar meaning to "Damn". Common alternatives include absolute, all-out, arrant, blank, blooming, bodacious, categorical, clean, complete and consummate.

What is a slang word for "Damn"?

Slang words for "Damn" include diddly, diddly-squat and squat.

What is the opposite of "Damn"?

Antonyms of "Damn" include little, negligibly, nominally, slightly, somewhat and bless. Near antonyms include doubtful, dubious, equivocal and qualified.

How do you use "Damn" in a sentence?

Examples of "Damn" in a sentence: "that dilapidated house is a damn eyesore and should be torn down"; "told her she'd never get married because she was too damn picky"; "I don't want to hear about your problems—I just don't give a damn".

Is "Damn" a noun, verb, or adjective?

"Damn" can be used as a verb, a noun, an adjective or adverb, an adjective and an adverb, depending on the context.

How do you pronounce "Damn"?

"Damn" is pronounced /ˈdam/.