OpenSynonym

damn

/dæm/

VERB

1. Condemning or sentencing someone to punishment

To condemn someone to eternal punishment or declare that a person deserves severe punishment because of their actions, beliefs, or behavior.

1.1. Religious condemnation and eternal punishment

Used in religious contexts to express the judgment that someone is condemned to hell or excluded from divine salvation because of sin or wrongdoing.

Synonyms

  • condemn
  • doom
  • sentence
  • adjudge
  • reprobate
  • anathematize
  • execrate

Antonyms

Examples

  • Some religious traditions teach that persistent wrongdoing can damn a person's soul.
  • The preacher warned that those who rejected repentance would be damned.

Related Words

1.2. Judging and declaring someone guilty

Used when someone formally or strongly condemns another person, declares them guilty, or determines that they deserve punishment or disapproval.

Synonyms

Antonyms

Examples

  • The public was quick to damn the official for his dishonest behavior.
  • The committee refused to damn the accused without examining the evidence.

Related Words

1.3. Disapproving of or rejecting something

Used when someone strongly disapproves of an idea, action, decision, or practice and publicly expresses their negative judgment.

Synonyms

  • condemn
  • criticize
  • denounce
  • disparage
  • deprecate
  • disapprove
  • censure
  • reproach
  • revile
  • blame
  • decry
  • berate

Antonyms

Examples

  • Critics were quick to damn the proposal as impractical and irresponsible.
  • The editor refused to damn the entire project because of a few mistakes.

Related Words

1.4. Cursing or expressing strong hostility

Used when someone invokes a curse upon another person or expresses intense anger, hatred, or hostility through an imprecation.

Synonyms

Antonyms

Examples

  • He continued to damn his enemies for everything they had done.
  • The angry man stood outside, damning those responsible for his misfortune.

Related Words

NOUN

2. Having little or no value or importance

A negligible amount or quantity, used to emphasize that something has almost no value, significance, or importance.

2.1. Insignificant quantity or amount

Used in informal expressions to indicate an extremely small amount of something, often emphasizing that the quantity is practically worthless or insignificant.

Synonyms

Antonyms

Examples

  • He didn't give a damn about the minor changes to the schedule.
  • She didn't care a damn whether anyone agreed with her decision.
  • The criticism didn't make a damn of difference to his determination.

Related Words

2.2. Concern or consideration

Used in expressions involving care or concern to indicate the complete absence of interest, attention, or consideration for someone or something.

Synonyms

  • care
  • concern
  • consideration
  • interest
  • regard
  • thought
  • heed

Antonyms

  • concern
  • care
  • interest
  • consideration
  • regard

Examples

  • He doesn't give a damn about what other people think of him.
  • She couldn't care a damn less about the rumors circulating around the office.

Related Words

ADJECTIVE

3. Intensifying an adjective or expressing strong emphasis

Used as an informal and mildly vulgar intensifier to emphasize the degree, extent, or intensity of a quality, condition, or situation.

3.1. Strong emphasis on qualities and conditions

Placed before an adjective or noun to intensify its meaning, often expressing frustration, admiration, irritation, or strong emotional emphasis.

Synonyms

Examples

  • That was a damn difficult decision to make.
  • She bought a damn expensive laptop last week.
  • It was a damn good performance despite the technical problems.

Related Words

ADVERB

4. To an extreme or very high degree

To a very great or intense degree, used informally to emphasize the extent of an action, quality, or condition.

4.1. Degree and intensity

Used before or after an adjective or verb to emphasize that something occurs to an unusually high degree or is especially intense.

Synonyms

Antonyms

Examples

  • The journey was damn exhausting after several hours of driving.
  • She runs damn fast despite her age.
  • The new restaurant is damn popular among local residents.

Related Words

INTERJECTION

5. An exclamation expressing anger or frustration

An informal and mildly vulgar exclamation used to express anger, irritation, disappointment, surprise, frustration, or strong emotion.

5.1. Anger and irritation

Used as a spontaneous expression of annoyance, anger, or frustration in response to an unpleasant event, mistake, or unexpected problem.

Synonyms

Examples

  • Damn! I forgot to bring my wallet.
  • Damn, the train has already left.
  • Oh, damn! I made the same mistake again.

Related Words

  • anger
  • irritation
  • frustration
  • annoyance
  • exasperation
  • profanity
  • exclamation

5.2. Surprise and amazement

Used as an emotional reaction to something unexpected, impressive, or astonishing, sometimes expressing admiration or disbelief.

Synonyms

Examples

  • Damn! That was an incredible performance.
  • Well, damn! I never expected you to finish the project so quickly.
  • Damn, that view is absolutely spectacular.

Related Words

  • surprise
  • amazement
  • astonishment
  • disbelief
  • wonder
  • excitement

5.3. Disappointment and regret

Used to express disappointment, regret, or dissatisfaction when something goes wrong or fails to meet expectations.

Synonyms

Examples

  • Damn! I was hoping to win the competition.
  • Damn, we missed the last bus home.
  • Oh, damn! The computer crashed before I saved my work.

Related Words