detrimental
Americanadjective
noun
adjective
Other Word Forms
- detrimentality noun
- detrimentally adverb
- detrimentalness noun
- nondetrimental adjective
- nondetrimentally adverb
- predetrimental adjective
- undetrimental adjective
- undetrimentally adverb
Etymology
Origin of detrimental
Explanation
Detrimental is a formal way of saying "harmful." Anything detrimental hurts, hinders, or puts a damper on something. Detrimental things do damage. Have you ever heard "Smoking may be detrimental to your health" and wondered what it meant? It means that smoking is bad for your health: it's going to harm you in a bunch of ways. Detrimental is a more official, formal way of talking about things that do harm. A dog who likes digging holes can be detrimental to a garden. If you're writing a paper and want to pick an alternative to harmful that sounds more formal, detrimental is a great choice.
Vocabulary lists containing detrimental
Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka (1954)
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100 SAT Words Beginning with "D"
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This Week in Words: January 27 - February 2, 2018
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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.
“We’re seeing the impacts of dust events and proximity to the sea as being detrimental to children’s lung development.”
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 9, 2026
More broadly, firms have ploughed ahead with AI development - including of "superintelligence" they believe could outsmart humans - while warning of its detrimental impact to some areas of society.
From BBC • Apr. 7, 2026
“This, of course, could be detrimental, especially if applied in the wrong context.”
From Slate • Mar. 29, 2026
Attempting to time market movements is difficult and detrimental; missing the best 10 days of a rally can reduce returns by a quarter.
From Barron's • Mar. 11, 2026
I got to keep them in the house, and that’s detrimental for young people.
From "Our America: Life and Death on the South Side of Chicago" by LeAlan Jones
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.
