as in harmful
causing or capable of causing harm
there were serious concerns that the factory's waste was detrimental to the local environment
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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detrimental effects
detrimental behavior
detrimental substances
detrimental aspects
a detrimental disturbance
a disruptive disturbance
a distressing disturbance
an undesirable disturbance
an adverse disturbance
a considerable disturbance
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of detrimental
Republican lawmakers are starting to urge President Trump to reverse his decisions to pause U.S. military and intelligence assistance to Ukraine, warning that a prolonged stoppage of U.S. help for the war effort would have a seriously detrimental effect.
—
Alexander Bolton, The Hill, 7 Mar. 2025
The decision to pause and review all military aid, which comes as Trump pushes for peace talks, will be detrimental to Ukraine's ability to defend itself against Russia.
—Sareen Habeshian, Axios, 3 Mar. 2025
Get rid of the inefficient, non-essential, economically taxing and detrimental expense who currently lives in the Governor’s Mansion.
—Letters To The Editor, Orlando Sentinel, 2 Mar. 2025
This kind of damage can be detrimental by, for instance, increasing the rates of cancer.
—Michael Irving, New Atlas, 2 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for detrimental
Alexander Bolton, The Hill, 7 Mar. 2025
The decision to pause and review all military aid, which comes as Trump pushes for peace talks, will be detrimental to Ukraine's ability to defend itself against Russia.
—Sareen Habeshian, Axios, 3 Mar. 2025
Get rid of the inefficient, non-essential, economically taxing and detrimental expense who currently lives in the Governor’s Mansion.
—Letters To The Editor, Orlando Sentinel, 2 Mar. 2025
This kind of damage can be detrimental by, for instance, increasing the rates of cancer.
—Michael Irving, New Atlas, 2 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for detrimental
Recent Examples of Synonyms for detrimental
Adjective
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Scientists have found bits of plastic in the ocean that are coated in communities of microorganisms, including harmful bacteria.5 Jayakrishnan said the microplastics in the body may play a similar role, offering a medium for cancer-causing bacteria to grow and disrupt the gut microbiome.—
Claire Bugos,
Verywell Health,
7 Mar. 2025
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Insecticides have been identified as leading causes of butterfly decline, which can be tackled with policy intervention such as restricting harmful insecticides, promoting integrated pest management and encouraging diversified cropping, according to the study.—
Sarah Metz,
CBS News,
6 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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The cyclone was already bringing heavy rainfall to coastal areas on Saturday, along with damaging winds and storm surges.—
Hilary Whiteman,
CNN,
7 Mar. 2025
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Choosing the wrong treatment can be damaging, or even fatal.—
IEEE Spectrum,
IEEE Spectrum,
5 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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Environmental groups have long opposed the new reservoir and objected to a shorter judicial review, saying the project will release unacceptable amounts of methane, a greenhouse gas, into the air in addition to other adverse impacts.—
Ari Plachta,
Sacramento Bee,
28 Feb. 2025
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Severe chikungunya-like adverse reactions occurred in 1.6% of IXCHIQ recipients and none of the placebo recipients, according to the FDA.—
Jacqueline Howard,
CNN,
27 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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Part of this season’s focus has been on building his partnership with Murphy, whose primary attacking role is to find Isak in dangerous areas, and encouraging his team-mates to involve the striker whenever possible.—
Chris Waugh,
The Athletic,
14 Mar. 2025
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Paved highways meant dangerous going for horse and rider, and her only mishap of the trip would come at Portland, when Goldie slipped on rain-slick pavement and fell on his rider and broke her leg, resulting in a delay of several weeks.—
Ben East,
Outdoor Life,
14 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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Jayson Tatum kept the Celtics in the game most of the night with 33 points, eight assists and eight rebounds, but Brown had one of his worst games of the year with just 10 points.—
Jay King,
The Athletic,
13 Mar. 2025
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So first, the argument for not giving President Trump and Elon Musk more power to do more bad, to move money around at will, to shut down more organizations and to give it our vote.—
Mansee Khurana,
NPR,
12 Mar. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Detrimental.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/detrimental. Accessed 16 Mar. 2025.
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