damaging

adjective

dam·​ag·​ing ˈda-mi-jiŋ 

: causing or able to cause damage : injurious

has a damaging effect on wildlife

damagingly

ˈda-mi-jiŋ-lē 

adverb

Synonyms of damaging

• harmful
• detrimental
• dangerous
• adverse

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

One of the most damaging misconceptions in M&A is that culture can be addressed after the transaction is completed. — Amit Jain, Forbes.com, 7 Aug. 2026

This was particularly damaging to the subreddit because its users view the community as an archive of detailed responses that continue to educate people long after content is posted. — Scharon Harding, ArsTechnica, 6 Aug. 2026

In cities where civic leaders have been slow to respond to these anxieties, citizens have moved quickly to take matters into their own hands by damaging, obscuring, or stealing the surveillance cameras in order to stop them from recording footage. — Joe Wilkins, Futurism, 6 Aug. 2026

Early tests suggest that the gadusol has antioxidant properties as well, kind of like vitamin C, so this could help neutralize some of those damaging free radicals that are, um, caused by sun exposure. — Popular Science Team, Popular Science, 6 Aug. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1828, in the meaning defined above