harmful

[hahrm-fuhl]

adjective

1. causing or capable of causing harm; injurious.

   a harmful idea;

   a harmful habit.

   Synonyms: deleterious, damaging, detrimental, hurtful
   Antonyms: beneficial

harmful

/ ˈhɑːmfʊl /

adjective

1. causing or tending to cause harm; injurious

Other Word Forms

• harmfully adverb
• harmfulness noun
• quasi-harmful adjective
• quasi-harmfully adverb
• unharmful adjective
• unharmfully adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of harmful¹

First recorded before 1000; Middle English; Old English hearmful; harm, -ful

Example Sentences

“We’ve been out front for years, removing harmful additives and improving school nutrition,” he said.

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“Higher education has been plagued by harmful woke ideology for too long,” she said.

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Experts say vaping is far less harmful than cigarettes, and can help you quit smoking.

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She is keen to stress that not all intermediaries are harmful.

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It's made up of a network of cells, tissues, and organs that work together to detect harmful invaders like viruses and bacteria, and help the body fight them off.

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Related Words

• adverse 
• bad 
• catastrophic 
• damaging 
• destructive 
• detrimental 
• disadvantageous 
• disastrous 
• inimical 
• noxious 
• painful 
• pernicious 
• risky 
• ruinous 
• sinful 
• toxic 
• unhealthy 
• unsafe