detriment

American  

[de-truh-muhnt] / ˈdɛ trə mənt /

noun

1. loss, damage, disadvantage, or injury.

2. a cause of loss or damage.

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detriment British  

/ ˈdɛtrɪmənt /

noun

1. disadvantage or damage; harm; loss

2. a cause of disadvantage or damage

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Related Words

See damage.

Etymology

Origin of detriment

First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English from Middle French, from Latin dētrīmentum “loss, damage,” from dētrī- ( detritus ) + -mentum -ment

Example Sentences

And both risk pushing the law toward technical rules that operate to the detriment of voters themselves.

From Slate • Mar. 31, 2026

Just as in any other market, it’s not appropriate for people to take advantage of their inside information and leverage it to the economic detriment of others.

From Barron's • Mar. 28, 2026

There’s one antiprinciple to this: Do not invest in companies that intentionally try to addict their customers to spend more time, attention and money on them, to the detriment of those customers’ flourishing.

From MarketWatch • Mar. 27, 2026

And to fully eliminate the Dolan discount, they likely would have to sever their ties, because currently MSG Sports is subsidizing the other Dolan companies to its great detriment.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 8, 2026

But that name turned out to be a detriment rather than an asset to me.

From "Tears of a Tiger" by Sharon M. Draper

Related Words

• disadvantage