Definition of DETRIMENTAL

Choose the Right Synonym for detrimental

Adjective

pernicious, baneful, noxious, deleterious, detrimental mean exceedingly harmful. pernicious implies irreparable harm done through evil or insidious corrupting or undermining. the claim that pornography has a pernicious effect on society baneful implies injury through poisoning or destroying. the baneful notion that discipline destroys creativity noxious applies to what is both offensive and injurious to the health of a body or mind. noxious chemical fumes deleterious applies to what has an often unsuspected harmful effect. a diet found to have deleterious effects detrimental implies obvious harmfulness to something specified. the detrimental effects of excessive drinking

Examples of detrimental in a Sentence

Adjective

In context, the word "corruption" summarized the opinion (set forth in some of the books mentioned in the review) that, as a general matter, the growing financial dependence of the medical profession on the pharmaceutical industry is profoundly detrimental to sound public, medical, and scientific policy. — New York Review of Books, 12 Feb. 2009 Healthy people can harbor Klebsiella to no detrimental effect; those with debilitating conditions, like liver disease or severe diabetes, or those recovering from major surgery, are most likely to fall ill. — Jerome Groopman, New Yorker, 11 & 18 Aug. 2008 Unfortunately, tourism, along with dynamite fishing and poaching, has proved detrimental to the park's coral reefs, mangrove complexes, coastal wetlands and marine species. — Nature Conservancy Landmarks, Fall 2003 there were serious concerns that the factory's waste was detrimental to the local environment

Recent Examples on the Web: Adjective

Jason Kint, chief executive of Digital Content Next, a trade organization that represents online publishers, said Facebook’s measurement practices have been detrimental to the digital advertising marketplace. — Suzanne Vranica, WSJ, "Advertisers Allege Facebook Failed to Disclose Key Metric Error for More Than a Year," 16 Oct. 2018 To my mind, this person said that Trump is detrimental to the United States. — Fox News, "President Trump attacks New York Times for anonymous op-ed," 7 Sep. 2018 Research has shown Instagram and other social media can be detrimental to our mental health for exactly these reasons. — Brittney Mcnamara, Teen Vogue, "Iskra Lawrence Side By Side Instagram Post Shows Effects of Photo Editing," 17 Aug. 2018 The Fire District responded with the Marine 24, a high-powered fire boat added to the force last year, which was able to extinguish the barge blaze in six minutes and avoid catastrophic damage or further detrimental impact to the lake. — Julia Sclafani, sacbee, "'Lights on the Lake': Barge catches fire after Tahoe fireworks spectacular," 5 July 2018 Thankfully Rose was safely reunited with her family, but her abduction had a very serious and lasting detrimental impact. — Paul Rodger, Fox News, "Mom suing Thomas Cook after daughter allegedly 'abducted' during vacation: 'Most traumatic experience of my life'," 27 June 2018 Not only are the poisons detrimental to the ecosystem, but also to pets and children. — Caroline Blackmon, Detroit Free Press, "5 ways to rid your home and yard of rats without using poison," 1 June 2018 The impacts of climate change are largely detrimental for spiders, driving many of the world’s cave spiders toward extinction. — Jason Daley, Smithsonian, "The World’s Oldest Known Spider Has Died at Age 43," 1 May 2018 Lawrence has been a solid role model for Charlton in their short time together, however, it could be viewed as somewhat detrimental to his growth. — Drew Davison, star-telegram, "'Stronger, faster' Taco Charlton definitely expects more sacks in Year 2," 1 June 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'detrimental.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.