different between best vs darnedest

English

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /?b?st/
• Rhymes: -?st

Etymology 1

From Middle English beste, best, from Old English betst, betest, from Proto-Germanic *batistaz.

Adjective

best (positive good, adverb well, comparative better, superlative (humorous) bestest)

1. superlative form of good: most good.
2. Most; largest.

3. Most superior; most favorable.

   In my opinion, mushrooms are the best pizza toppings.

Usage notes

The comparative gooder and superlative goodest derived from the positive good are nonstandard.In informal (often jocular) contexts, best may be inflected further and given the comparative bester and the superlative bestest; these forms are also nonstandard.

Antonyms

• baddest (nonstandard)
• worst

Derived terms

• bestness
• bester, bestest

Translations

Adverb

best

1. superlative form of well: most well
   • 1798, Samuel Taylor Coleridge, The Rime of the Ancient Mariner

     He prayeth best, who loveth best / All things both great and small.

   • At her invitation he outlined for her the succeeding chapters with terse military accuracy?; and what she liked best and best understood was avoidance of that false modesty which condescends, turning technicality into pabulum.

2. To the most advantage; with the most success, cause, profit, benefit, or propriety.

   • Had I not best go to her?

Translations

Noun

best (countable and uncountable, plural bests)

1. (uncountable) The supreme effort one can make, or has made.

   I did my best.

   My personal best in that race is eighteen minutes, four seconds.
2. (uncountable) One's best behavior.

   I was somewhat distant lately, and my lady promised me head every Tuesday of the week when I'm nice to her, so I better be on my best.

3. (countable) The person (or persons; or thing or things) that is (are) most excellent.

   Even the best of us makes mistakes.

   We're the best of friends.

   • 1994, Otis L. Guernsey and Jeffrey Sweet, The Best Plays of 1993-1994, page vii:

     Mel Gussow reviews the bests of off off Broadway

   • 1995 October, Cincinnati Magazine, [2]:

     But in true Cincinnati style, the bests consistently outnumber the worsts.

   • 2011, G. Edward Evans, Sheila S. Intner, and Jean Riddle Weihs, Introduction to Technical Services, page 149:

     There are the bests for each institution, the bests for coalitions, and, of course, the bests for the group as a whole.

   • 2013, Jesse Jose, Collections Of My Best And Most-Hated, "A Cup O' Kapeng Barako" Writings, page 209:

     If he's one of the bests, he should be fighting the bests, NOT the pipitsugins.

Translations

Verb

best (third-person singular simple present bests, present participle besting, simple past and past participle bested)

1. To surpass in skill or achievement.
2. (transitive) To beat in a contest

Antonyms

• worst

Translations

Related terms

• better
• bestest

Derived terms

Etymology 2

Shortening of had best

Verb

best

1. (modal verb, colloquial) Had best.

   It's getting late. You best get on home.

Usage notes

• Although it is sometimes considered an adverb, best is virtually synonymous with should in We best be going. and ought to We best go.. Should and ought are auxiliary verbs.

References

• best at OneLook Dictionary Search
• best in The Century Dictionary, New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911.

Anagrams

• BTEs, Bets, bets

Dutch

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /b?st/
• Hyphenation: best
• Rhymes: -?st

Etymology 1

From Middle Dutch best, from Old Dutch *betst, from Proto-Germanic *batistaz, superlative of *g?daz. Compare Low German best, English best, West Frisian best, German besten, Danish bedst.

Adjective

best

1. Superlative form of goed; best.
2. fine, okay

   Mag ik buiten spelen? — Ik vind het best, als je maar voor het eten weer thuis bent.

   May I go and play outside? — It's fine with me, as long as you're back home again before dinner.

Inflection

• (definite inflected form): beste

Synonyms

• (fine): prima

Descendants

• Afrikaans: beste

Adverb

best

1. quite, rather

   Dat zou best kunnen.

   It's quite possible.

Etymology 2

Noun

best f (plural besten, diminutive bestje n)

1. (dated, chiefly diminutive) Alternative form of bes (“old woman”).

Middle Dutch

Etymology

From Old Dutch *betst, from Proto-Germanic *batistaz.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /best/

Adjective

best

1. best; superlative degree of goet

Adverb

best

1. best; superlative degree of wel

Descendants

• Dutch: best
  • Afrikaans: beste
• Limburgish: bès

Middle English

Etymology 1

From Old English betst, betest.

Adjective

best

1. Alternative form of beste

Adverb

best

1. Alternative form of beste

Etymology 2

From Old French beste.

Noun

best

1. Alternative form of beeste

Norwegian Bokmål

Etymology

From Old Norse beztr

Adjective

best

1. indefinite singular superlative degree of god: best
2. indefinite singular superlative degree of bra: best

Derived terms

• bestselger
• bestselgende

References

• “best” in The Bokmål Dictionary.

Norwegian Nynorsk

Etymology

From Old Norse beztr

Adjective

best

1. indefinite singular superlative degree of god: best
2. indefinite singular superlative degree of bra

References

• “best” in The Nynorsk Dictionary.

Old Saxon

Alternative forms

• betst

Etymology

From Proto-Germanic *batistaz.

Adverb

best

1. best

Descendants

• Low German: best

Scots

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [b?st]

Adjective

best

1. superlative degree of guid

Derived terms

• ill-best (“best of a bad lot, best of a poor selection”)

Noun

best (plural bests)

1. groomsman

Swedish

Etymology

Ultimately from Latin b?stia.

Pronunciation

• Homophone: bäst

Noun

best c

1. beast

Declension

Anagrams

• bets

English

Alternative forms

• darndest, durnedest, durndest

Etymology

From darned +? -est.

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /?d??nd?st/
• (General American) IPA^(key): /?d??n?d?st/

Adjective

darnedest (not comparable)

1. (euphemistic) Damnedest; most amazing, consternating, etc.

   The darnedest thing happened to me today – I saw a man who I know died ten years ago.

Noun

darnedest (uncountable)

1. (US) Damnedest; one's best effort.

   I did my darnedest to stay awake.