darn
darn Lexical Profile
darn Game Scores & Validity
• adjective
Used as a mild euphemism for 'damned' to express annoyance, frustration, or emphasis.
"I cannot get this darn lawnmower to start on cold mornings."
• adverb
Extremely or very; used informally for strong emphasis.
"She did a darn good job organizing the community fundraiser on short notice."
• interjection
Used to express mild anger, disappointment, or annoyance.
"Darn, I left my umbrella on the train again!"
• noun
The slightest bit of care, concern, or value (used informally in negative expressions such as 'not give a darn').
"He did not seem to give a darn about what the critics thought of his painting."
A place in a garment or piece of fabric that has been mended with rows of interlaced stitches.
"The neat darn in the heel of the wool sock was barely noticeable."
• verb
To curse or condemn mildly (used informally as a euphemism for 'damn').
"Well, I'll be darned if that isn't the exact book I was looking for!"
To mend a hole in knitted fabric or clothing by interweaving yarn or thread across the gap with a needle.
"My grandmother taught me how to darn wool socks using a wooden darning egg."
Word Nuance & Usage
'Darn' is a homonym with two entirely unrelated origins: in sewing, it is a standard technical term for mending fabric with interwoven stitches, whereas in informal speech it functions as a mild, polite minced oath substituting for 'damn'.
• Rhymes for darn
Word Origin & Etymology
The sewing sense dates to the early 17th century, likely from dialectical French darner ('to mend'), ultimately of Germanic origin. The exclamatory sense arose in the late 18th century in New England as a euphemistic alteration of 'damn' or 'eternal'.