detriment
Americannoun
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loss, damage, disadvantage, or injury.
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a cause of loss or damage.
noun
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disadvantage or damage; harm; loss
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a cause of disadvantage or damage
Synonym Usage
See damage.
Etymology
Origin of detriment
First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English from Middle French, from Latin dētrīmentum “loss, damage,” from dētrī- ( see detritus) + -mentum -ment
Explanation
Detriment is the hurt or harm as a result of damage, loss, or a bad decision. The developers won the lawsuit, much to the detriment of the people who live near the construction site. The meaning of detriment has not changed much from its roots in the Latin word, detrimentum, which is "a rubbing off, loss, damage, defeat." A detriment is a loss that wears you down. Smoking is a detriment to good health, as is standing in the snow barefooted. To the detriment of the people who clean the floors, we gave the girls scrambled eggs right before gymnastics class.
Vocabulary lists containing detriment
The Book Thief
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Tears of a Tiger
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Britain's Finest Hour Speech - Winston Churchill (1940)
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The frenzy of the new attention economy has only inflated the importance of the Tony Awards — to the detriment of the Broadway calendar.
From Los Angeles Times • May 5, 2026
The oil surge also benefited the U.S. dollar to the detriment of foreign currencies, as oil is generally priced in dollars.
From Barron's • Apr. 3, 2026
And both risk pushing the law toward technical rules that operate to the detriment of voters themselves.
From Slate • Mar. 31, 2026
He accused top officers of promoting “certain soldiers to the detriment of more-worthy ones.”
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 12, 2026
“It’s a love of a bonnet, but I prefer the face inside, for it looks young and happy again,” and John kissed the smiling face, to the great detriment of the rosebud under the chin.
From "Little Women" by Louisa May Alcott
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
