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

While reviewing that information may prove useful in developing an accurate overall view of the options, the results from Yoon and colleagues suggest that focusing on the details during the decision process will prove detrimental. — Cindi May, Scientific American, "To Win a Sports Bet, Don't Think Too Much," 23 July 2013 According to a paper published in Nature Sustainability on Monday, Bitcoin mining is even more detrimental to the environment than scouring the Earth for gold, silver, aluminum and copper. — Sam Blum, Popular Mechanics, "Mining For Bitcoin Can Require More Energy Than Actually Mining," 6 Nov. 2018 Eco-conscious companies are taking matters into their own hands, formulating sunscreens and hydrating lotions that are (hopefully) less detrimental to the underwater environment. — Kari Molvar, Vogue, "Is Your Sunscreen Bad for the Planet? Here’s How to Choose an Ocean-Safe Formula," 14 Aug. 2018 This binge-and-restrict pattern is fundamentally detrimental to better health and long-term weight loss, and sets you up for a week, month, or even year of shaming yourself into no-good yo-yo dieting. — Jaclyn London, Ms, Rd, Cdn, Good Housekeeping, "How to Start Losing Weight With 6 Steps That Actually Work, According to a Nutritionist," 5 Dec. 2018 These games are perfect for an iPad: precision controls aren’t required, meaning that sacrificing a proper controller isn’t detrimental to enjoying the experience. — Julia Alexander, The Verge, "The iPad Pro isn’t an Xbox competitor, even with console-like specs," 31 Oct. 2018 That could be even more detrimental to the Mueller probe. — Alex Ward, Vox, "Rosenstein is the only person between Trump and Mueller. He may soon be gone.," 21 Sep. 2018 Not understanding how your money is being spent—especially borrowed money—can be detrimental to becoming debt-free. — WSJ, "The Best Ways to Get Out of Debt," 15 Dec. 2018 Policy actions do have some impact—and not all of them have been detrimental to renewable energy. — Emily Atkin, New Republic, "Trump Can’t Kill Renewable Energy," 19 Feb. 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.