as in harmful
causing or capable of causing harm
there were serious concerns that the factory's waste was detrimental to the local environment
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Recent Examples of detrimental
In some cases, soups may also contain high levels of other ingredients that, if consumed in excess, can be detrimental to one's health.
—
Angelica Bottaro, Verywell Health, 25 Aug. 2025
As with any part of your body, over-exfoliating can be detrimental to skin health.
—Jennifer Hussein, Allure, 25 Aug. 2025
Even without a formal diagnosis, intense separation anxiety and/or excessive homesickness among incoming college students can be detrimental.
—Eric Wood, Forbes.com, 21 Aug. 2025
Or, maybe the light has a detrimental effect by interfering with sleep or seasonal hormonal cycles.
—Nell Greenfieldboyce, NPR, 21 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for detrimental
Angelica Bottaro, Verywell Health, 25 Aug. 2025
As with any part of your body, over-exfoliating can be detrimental to skin health.
—Jennifer Hussein, Allure, 25 Aug. 2025
Even without a formal diagnosis, intense separation anxiety and/or excessive homesickness among incoming college students can be detrimental.
—Eric Wood, Forbes.com, 21 Aug. 2025
Or, maybe the light has a detrimental effect by interfering with sleep or seasonal hormonal cycles.
—Nell Greenfieldboyce, NPR, 21 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for detrimental
Recent Examples of Synonyms for detrimental
Adjective
-
In more extreme cases, happiness can also be derived from sources that are harmful to others.—
Mark Travers,
Forbes.com,
3 Sep. 2025
-
That chamber is sealed, plus the SoftGel is non-toxic, so harmful fumes reportedly shouldn't be a problem.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
3 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
The National Weather Service in Nashville said the region is at a slight risk, a two on the five-step scale, for damaging winds, isolated large hail, heavy rains, frequent lightning and a possible tornado.—
Kirsten Fiscus,
Nashville Tennessean,
5 Sep. 2025
-
The terrifying part is that these attacks are likely to become more frequent and more damaging.—
Alan Henry,
PC Magazine,
5 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
The specialty retailer’s chief financial officer, Robert Ball, said Abercrombie has seen about $5 million in adverse impact from tariffs during the second quarter, chiefly manifested in the cost of sales, and expects $90 million net impact from tariffs for the year.—
Kate Nishimura,
Sourcing Journal,
4 Sep. 2025
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This tool helps with reading, writing, summarizing, adverse-event profile reviews, label comparisons, clinical protocol assessments, and even generating database code.—
Sixteen Ramos,
USA Today,
4 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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The illness prevents her body from producing platelets, leaving her at constant risk of dangerous bleeding.—
Liz Neporent,
ABC News,
26 Aug. 2025
-
But that wasn't the most dangerous thing that happened to me.—
Christopher Elliott,
USA Today,
26 Aug. 2025
Adjective
-
This was a classic Smith performance with tons of yardage and some risky throws with both good and bad results.—
Mike Sando,
New York Times,
8 Sep. 2025
-
You were called something much worse, and [it was] accepted.—
Brenton Blanchet,
PEOPLE,
8 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Detrimental.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/detrimental. Accessed 9 Sep. 2025.
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