as in harmful
causing or capable of causing harm
the damaging effects of the sun on unprotected skin
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in injuring
to reduce the soundness, effectiveness, or perfection of
the explosion in the sewers damaged the entire city's water supply
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in wounding
to cause bodily damage to
his knee was badly damaged in the accident, and he walked with a limp for months
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of damaging
Shelby Stewart, Essence, 21 Apr. 2025
The flooding comes as more than 30 million Americans are on alert for severe weather this Easter weekend, as several states in the Heartland have already been slammed with tornadoes, hail and damaging winds.
—Tristan Maglunog, ABC News, 20 Apr. 2025
The storms are threatening large hail and damaging wind gusts up to 60 mph.
—Raja Krishnamoorthi, MSNBC Newsweek, 9 Apr. 2025
But in recent years, lung disease for miners has become a major concern again, Laney says, because coal increasingly comes from mines embedded in sandstone, and which generates dust that's 20 times more damaging to lungs than coal.
—Yuki Noguchi, NPR, 9 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for damaging
Adjective
In her confessional, a producer presses Drew: what exactly is so damaging in those files?
—Shelby Stewart, Essence, 21 Apr. 2025
The flooding comes as more than 30 million Americans are on alert for severe weather this Easter weekend, as several states in the Heartland have already been slammed with tornadoes, hail and damaging winds.
—Tristan Maglunog, ABC News, 20 Apr. 2025
The storms are threatening large hail and damaging wind gusts up to 60 mph.
—Raja Krishnamoorthi, MSNBC Newsweek, 9 Apr. 2025
But in recent years, lung disease for miners has become a major concern again, Laney says, because coal increasingly comes from mines embedded in sandstone, and which generates dust that's 20 times more damaging to lungs than coal.
—Yuki Noguchi, NPR, 9 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for damaging
Recent Examples of Synonyms for damaging
Adjective
-
Confusing a congressional edict to end segregation with DEI policies that have no genesis in the Black Civil Rights movement to end Jim Crow is historically ignorant, disrespectful, and harmful to the urgent need to focus on resolving continuing racial inequalities in public education.—
Raymond Pierce,
Forbes.com,
25 Apr. 2025
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For every person who happily sets 4:00 a.m. alarms on race morning, there’s another convinced the sport is too hard, too boring, or a waste of time, if not outright harmful.—
Cindy Kuzma,
SELF,
25 Apr. 2025
Verb
-
Authorities accused an Arlington Heights man of hitting and injuring a Chicago Police officer while driving under the influence Sunday on the West side, according to a news release.—
Caroline Kubzansky,
Chicago Tribune,
11 Mar. 2025
-
They two men are also charged with injuring another person, according to Patch.—
Joseph Wilkinson,
New York Daily News,
10 Mar. 2025
Adjective
-
Focusing too much on weight rather than taking a more holistic approach can be detrimental to the care of all patients.—
Hannah Yasharoff,
USA Today,
30 Apr. 2025
-
And this has serious and detrimental consequences, not just for the colleges and universities, but for our economy.—
Destinee Adams,
NPR,
29 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
Harvard-Westlake, last year’s Division 1 runner-up, is still dangerous with sophomore pitcher Justin Kirchner (7-0) and junior center fielder James Tronstein.—
Eric Sondheimer,
Los Angeles Times,
30 Apr. 2025
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Activists have criticized clearing acres of trees, said that a firing range on campus could be dangerous and that the project would change the Matthews campus’ culture for the worse.—
Ryan Oehrli,
Charlotte Observer,
30 Apr. 2025
Verb
-
For example, Netflix uses it to deliver seamless streaming to millions, scaling efficiently without compromising speed.—
Jyothish R,
Forbes,
27 Dec. 2024
-
Richard Mille changed the game to push watches as far into the future as possible by not compromising on production techniques and material usage.—
Allen Farmelo,
Robb Report,
26 Dec. 2024
Adjective
-
The result is potential adverse effects on the health, cognition, and well-being of older users and missed opportunities for support.—
Diana Spehar,
Forbes.com,
1 May 2025
-
Sometimes this can be dangerous and cause serious adverse effects.—
Jamie Johnson,
Verywell Health,
1 May 2025
Verb
-
However, some have raised concerns about the mass layoffs being unethical, increasing unemployment, and harming the function of key government agencies.—
Maydeen Merino,
Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government,
15 Mar. 2025
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Staff reductions of this magnitude risk prolonging processing delays and increasing wait times for taxpayer support—disproportionately harming working families who rely on prompt refunds and accessible services.—
Mark Davis,
Newsweek,
14 Mar. 2025
Adjective
-
President Donald Trump intends to completely reimagine U.S. trade relations with our closest partners and fiercest rivals, for better or worse.—
Charles Singh,
USA Today,
30 Apr. 2025
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As an attempt to derive meaning from a meaningless phrase —which was, after all, the user's request—that's not half bad.—
ArsTechnica,
ArsTechnica,
29 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Damaging.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/damaging. Accessed 6 May. 2025.
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