detrimental

[de-truh-men-tl]

adjective

1. causing detriment, as loss or injury; damaging; harmful.

noun

1. a detrimental person or thing.

detrimental

/ ˌdɛtrɪˈmɛntəl /

adjective

1. harmful; injurious; prejudicial

   smoking can be detrimental to health

Other Word Forms

• detrimentality noun
• detrimentalness noun
• detrimentally adverb
• nondetrimental adjective
• nondetrimentally adverb
• predetrimental adjective
• undetrimental adjective
• undetrimentally adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of detrimental¹

First recorded in 1650–60; detriment + -al ¹

Example Sentences

“This serves as a reminder that any slowdown in AI growth will have a detrimental impact on the economies in North Asia, especially South Korea and Taiwan,” said the ANZ Research team.

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"Being famous is an important factor influencing longevity and underscores the need for targeted interventions to mitigate its detrimental effects on longevity."

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The evidence that AI could be detrimental to some people’s brains is growing, according to experts.

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Baroness Hallett said the relationships between ministers were "poor" and "detrimental to good decision making".

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"The relationships between ministers in Northern Ireland was poor. This kind of culture is detrimental to good decision making."

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Related Words

• adverse 
• destructive 
• disturbing 
• harmful 
• hurtful 
• inimical 
• injurious 
• negative 
• pernicious 
• prejudicial 
• unfavorable