detriment

noun

det·​ri·​ment ˈde-trə-mənt 

1

: injury, damage

did hard work without detriment to his health

2

: a cause of injury or damage

a detriment to progress

Synonyms

• 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

Public media leaders said their noncommercial funding structure was a feature, not a detriment, to their mission. —Cate Charron, IndyStar, 1 Aug. 2025

That’s very concerning and could be a real detriment beyond making things difficult against some of the elite centers in the league. —Roderick Boone, Charlotte Observer, 1 Aug. 2025

The force to Happy’s shot that was a detriment on the rink is his superpower on the golf course, and no one can compete with Happy’s distance. —Derek Lawrence, Vulture, 28 July 2025

According to the report, more than two-thirds of the stakeholders GAO interviewed reported challenges with warehouses, truck areas and roadways at selected airports, which can be a major supply chain detriment since air cargo spends 80 to 90 percent of its time on the ground. —Glenn Taylor, Sourcing Journal, 24 July 2025

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
• to the detriment of
• 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