damaging

adjective

dam·​ag·​ing ˈda-mi-jiŋ How to pronounce damaging (audio)
: causing or able to cause damage : injurious
has a damaging effect on wildlife
damagingly adverb

Examples of damaging in a Sentence

the damaging effects of the sun on your skin The storm may produce damaging winds. He says he has damaging information about the candidate. The evidence was very damaging to their case.
Recent Examples on the Web
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.
But the uncertainty bred by the trade war is just as damaging to businesses’ bottom lines as consumers pull back their spending. Amelia Lucas, CNBC, 24 Apr. 2025 More studies will have to determine just how damaging microplastics truly are to fertility. Melissa Willets, Parents, 24 Apr. 2025 More damaging than the tariffs themselves is the uncertainty the White House has created, said Wendy Edelberg, senior fellow in Economic Studies at the Brookings Institution, in an interview with CNN. Matt Egan, CNN Money, 23 Apr. 2025 Large hail and damaging winds remain the main threat. Joe Edwards, MSNBC Newsweek, 23 Apr. 2025 See All Example Sentences for damaging

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1828, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of damaging was circa 1828

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Cite this Entry

“Damaging.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/damaging. Accessed 30 Apr. 2025.

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