detriment

noun

det·​ri·​ment ˈde-trə-mənt 

1

: injury, damage

did hard work without detriment to their health

He puts all his time into his career to the detriment of [= in a way that is harmful to] his personal life.

2

: a cause of injury or damage

a detriment to progress

Synonyms of detriment

• harm
• damage
• injury

Examples of detriment in a Sentence

opponents of casino gambling claim that it is a detriment to society at large

the requirement that runners wear shoes for the race worked to his detriment since he was used to running barefoot

Recent Examples on the Web

They were committed to that sense of camaraderie with their neighbors, even to their financial detriment. — Carlos De Loera, Los Angeles Times, 10 Aug. 2026

The school districts’ joint lawsuit questioned the legality of the program and predicted immediate detriments to class sizes, staff recruitment and retention and student programming. — Ilana Arougheti, Kansas City Star, 7 Aug. 2026

Maddox argues that all of the platforms fall short in this area, which is a detriment to community building, career-building, conversations, and other positive aspects of the internet. — Moises Mendez Ii, USA Today, 6 Aug. 2026

That helps to ensure government partners can survive should China move to leverage its market position to their detriment. — David Blackmon, Forbes.com, 4 Aug. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, borrowed from Middle French & Latin; Middle French, borrowed from Latin dētrīmentum "reduction in quantity, diminishment, harm, damage," from dētrī-, variant stem of dēterere "to wear away, rub off, lessen, impair" + -mentum -ment — more at detritus

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing detriment

• to one's detriment
• without detriment to

Kids Definition

detriment

noun

det·​ri·​ment ˈde-trə-mənt 

: injury or damage or its cause

Legal Definition

detriment

noun

det·​ri·​ment ˈde-trə-mənt 

1

: injury, loss

also : the cause of an injury or loss

2

: a giving up of a thing or mode of conduct to which one is entitled that constitutes consideration for a contract

called also legal detriment

detrimental

ˌde-trə-ˈmen-təl 

adjective

detrimentally adverb