harmful
Americanadjective
adjective
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of harmful
First recorded before 1000; Middle English; Old English hearmful; see harm, -ful
Explanation
Things that are harmful hurt people, or are likely to hurt them. Listening to loud music through headphones can be harmful to your hearing. Harmful is an adjective that comes in handy when you're talking about things that cause injury to someone or damage something. Burning coal can be harmful to the environment, and eating too much candy can be harmful for your teeth. Harmful words can hurt someone's feelings and harmful actions might put them in danger. The Old English hearm, "hurt, evil, or grief," is at the root of harmful.
Vocabulary lists containing harmful
Earth Day
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Unfavorable
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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 should not regard screen time solely as harmful but seek balance between physical activity and screen time that promotes active thinking," Jalanko summarizes.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 17, 2026
One of the researchers cautions against viewing screen time as entirely harmful and says the goal should be to balance physical activity with screen use that encourages active thinking.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 17, 2026
The way AI talks to us is grating and disingenuous—and can even be harmful.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 16, 2026
The French government had promoted the ban as a way to better protect young people from the harmful effects associated with social media platforms, including anxiety, depression, sleep disorders and online harassment.
From Barron's ● Aug. 14, 2026
Many of the Japanese would scoop up or pluck the aromatic leaves and boil them and inhale the steam, claiming that it was good for colds; others felt that camphor steam could be harmful.
From "Endgame" by Frank Brady
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.
