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damaging

adjective

dam·​ag·​ing ˈda-mi-jiŋ How to pronounce damaging (audio)
: causing or able to cause damage : injurious
has a damaging effect on wildlife
damagingly adverb

Examples of damaging in a Sentence

the damaging effects of the sun on your skin The storm may produce damaging winds. He says he has damaging information about the candidate. The evidence was very damaging to their case.
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Membership was low, but rumors spread by the club were pretty damaging. Gretchen Hansen, Entertainment Weekly, 27 Nov. 2025 The key question is whether XLV can digest that weakness constructively enough to prevent the pullback from becoming materially damaging to the broader trend. Frank Cappelleri, CNBC, 26 Nov. 2025 They are deployed with goals ranging from improving safety to boosting efficiency, yet their use can bring damaging consequences. Sam Stevenson, MSNBC Newsweek, 25 Nov. 2025 However, overnight, Russia launched a large drone-and-missile strike on Kyiv, killing at least seven people and damaging power infrastructure. Emma Bussey, FOXNews.com, 25 Nov. 2025 See All Example Sentences for damaging

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1828, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of damaging was circa 1828

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Cite this Entry

“Damaging.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/damaging. Accessed 29 Nov. 2025.

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