as in harmful
causing or capable of causing harm
there were serious concerns that the factory's waste was detrimental to the local environment
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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detrimental effects
detrimental behavior
detrimental substances
detrimental aspects
a detrimental disturbance
a disruptive disturbance
a distressing disturbance
an undesirable disturbance
an adverse disturbance
a considerable disturbance
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of detrimental
The White House takes aim at the Biden administration and Democrats’ handling of the pandemic, arguing lockdowns were detrimental, masks were ineffective, and the 6-foot distance rule was arbitrarily made up by Fauci.
—
Elaine Mallon, The Washington Examiner, 18 Apr. 2025
In thicker especially woods, running a decoy can be detrimental.
—Alex Robinson, Outdoor Life, 16 Apr. 2025
Building on this, a comprehensive meta-analysis underscores the detrimental impact of aggressive leadership on workplace dynamics.
—Tomas Chamorro-Premuzic, Forbes.com, 15 Apr. 2025
Archer: Not having a rink in L.A. has been really detrimental to the skating community.
—Kailyn Brown, Los Angeles Times, 16 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for detrimental
Elaine Mallon, The Washington Examiner, 18 Apr. 2025
In thicker especially woods, running a decoy can be detrimental.
—Alex Robinson, Outdoor Life, 16 Apr. 2025
Building on this, a comprehensive meta-analysis underscores the detrimental impact of aggressive leadership on workplace dynamics.
—Tomas Chamorro-Premuzic, Forbes.com, 15 Apr. 2025
Archer: Not having a rink in L.A. has been really detrimental to the skating community.
—Kailyn Brown, Los Angeles Times, 16 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for detrimental
Recent Examples of Synonyms for detrimental
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
Adjective
-
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
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More studies will have to determine just how damaging microplastics truly are to fertility.—
Melissa Willets,
Parents,
24 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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So far, Lilly said the adverse effects of its new pill are consistent with GLP-1s, a class of medications primarily used to treat type 2 diabetes.—
Jonathan Limehouse,
USA Today,
18 Apr. 2025
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In the study, the researchers measured patients’ impulse control behavior disorders, excessive daytime sleepiness, blood pressure changes and weight changes, and found that the adverse effects linked to tavapadon were no different from those who received a placebo.—
Melissa Rudy,
FOXNews.com,
18 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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Reading back over her sister’s occasionally gossipy letters, maybe Cassie thought those qualities were just too dangerous to reveal publicly.—
Nina Metz,
Chicago Tribune,
30 Apr. 2025
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The album calls out what Young sees as dangerous overreach by corporate interests into food systems and public health.—
Heather Hunter,
The Washington Examiner,
30 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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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
“Detrimental.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/detrimental. Accessed 3 May. 2025.
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