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.
Trump is never shy of responding to criticism that is damaging to him from any source. Jeremy Lott, The Washington Examiner, 12 Sep. 2025 Historical accounts include stories of big storms and damaging winds and surf, but the modern record begins in 1950. Dinah Voyles Pulver, USA Today, 11 Sep. 2025 In the last ten years, Truchelut said, there’s been an uptick in intense, damaging hurricanes churning through the Gulf at the close of the season. Alex Harris, Miami Herald, 11 Sep. 2025 That blind spot is exactly what makes today’s breaches both damaging and preventable. Asaf Kochan, Forbes.com, 11 Sep. 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 15 Sep. 2025.

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