damaging 1 of 2

adjective

ˈda-mi-jiŋ How to pronounce damaging (audio)
Definition of damagingnext
as in harmful
causing or capable of causing harm the damaging effects of the sun on unprotected skin

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

damaging

2 of 2

verb

present participle of damage
1
as in injuring
to reduce the soundness, effectiveness, or perfection of the explosion in the sewers damaged the entire city's water supply

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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

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of damaging
Adjective
Mold thrives in warm, humid environments like bathrooms and kitchens and can be super damaging. — Lauren Bengtson, Better Homes & Gardens, 6 Sep. 2026 According to foreign military sources, the United States and Israel had planned just such a massive air offensive in early August that would have been far larger and more damaging than earlier bombings. — James F. Jeffrey, Foreign Affairs, 3 Sep. 2026
Verb
Incorporating these land signals into forecasting systems could ultimately provide communities, water managers and emergency planners with more time to prepare for damaging atmospheric river seasons. — Yongkang Xue, The Conversation, 10 Sep. 2026 The military said Chinese coast guard personnel aboard a motorboat repeatedly struck the sailor on the head with a wooden baton, injuring him and damaging his smaller vessel. — ABC News, 9 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for damaging
Recent Examples of Synonyms for damaging
  1. harmful
  2. injuring
  3. wounding
  4. detrimental
  5. marring
  6. hurting
  7. dangerous
  8. compromising
Adjective
  • These ads seem to violate federal child pornography laws, since the Justice Department has clarified that AI CSAM is just as harmful as CSAM.
    — Ashley Belanger, ArsTechnica, 8 Sep. 2026
  • Long-term inflammation in the body can be harmful to your overall health.
    — Sunny Sea Gold, HEALTH, 7 Sep. 2026
Definition of harmful
Verb
  • Starting center Tyler Biadasz was lost for the season after injuring his knee in training camp.
    — Ted Nguyen, New York Times, 7 Sep. 2026
  • An armed man carrying multiple weapons lunged at Ohio Democratic gubernatorial candidate Amy Acton at the Canfield Fair, injuring several attendees.
    — Gary Fields, Los Angeles Times, 7 Sep. 2026
Definition of injuring
Verb
  • In Zaporizhzhia, drone strikes killed a 74-year-old man and wounded three people, while a drone damaged an apartment building, wounding seven people, in the Khmelnytskyi region.
    — Samya Kullab, Fortune, 6 Sep. 2026
  • Iran accused Washington of striking a wedding party, killing four people and wounding dozens.
    — Kanishka Singh, USA Today, 2 Sep. 2026
Definition of wounding
Adjective
  • Being a tenant may limit priority over game scheduling too, which could be detrimental for potential media rights negotiations.
    — Melanie Anzidei, New York Times, 4 Sep. 2026
  • The wet-dry cycle that works well for other houseplants is detrimental to the Venus flytrap.
    — Andy Wilcox, Better Homes & Gardens, 29 Aug. 2026
Definition of detrimental
Verb
  • To prevent a similar war from happening again, Menelaus scarred her face, permanently marring her famous beauty.
    — Tanya Fedak, Variety, 18 July 2026
  • Lined with live oaks and old-fashioned, busy storefronts, this artsy town on the Gulf of Mexico has no commercial development marring its shoreline.
    — Valerie Fraser Luesse, Southern Living, 16 June 2026
Definition of marring
Verb
  • Trump’s threat to cut off foreign trade could endanger growth, further hurting his ratings.
    — Josh Boak, Fortune, 5 Sep. 2026
  • Trucking and freight will face higher diesel prices hurting their margins, usually with a lag before those fuel surcharges catch up.
    — Todd Gordon, CNBC, 2 Sep. 2026
Definition of hurting
Adjective
  • The most dangerous place on the field in the third quarter was your own 38 yard line!
    — Stewart Mandel, New York Times, 7 Sep. 2026
  • ShotSpotter offers targeted detection of a dangerous event versus technology like Flock's indiscriminate collection of innocent people's movements.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 7 Sep. 2026
Definition of dangerous
Verb
  • Through this, authorities have improved response times to sudden events such as blockages, signal failures or crowding without compromising live operations.
    — Miroslav Katsarov, Forbes.com, 10 Sep. 2026
  • On October 7, Hamas, a group that al-Qaeda regularly criticized for compromising on theological principles in the pursuit of its political agenda, launched a bloody terrorist attack on Israel, killing more than 1,100 people.
    — Daniel Byman, Foreign Affairs, 8 Sep. 2026
Definition of compromising

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Cite this Entry

“Damaging.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/damaging. Accessed 14 Sep. 2026.

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