Detrimental

det-ruh-men-tl

/ˌdet.rɪˈmen.təl/

Adjective

Meaning

  • Detrimental means causing harm, damage, or a negative effect.
  • Something described as detrimental adversely affects a person, situation, or thing.

Examples

  • Smoking is detrimental to your health.
  • Excessive screen time can have detrimental effects on children’s development.
  • Poor management had a detrimental impact on the company’s profits.
  • Ignoring safety protocols could be detrimental to the workers’ well-being.

Synonyms & Antonyms

Synonyms Antonyms
Harmful Damaging Injurious Adverse Unfavorable Disadvantageous Beneficial Helpful Advantageous Favorable Constructive

Word Forms

  • Detrimentally (adverb) – in a harmful or damaging way
  • Detriment (noun) – the state of being harmed or damaged

Origin / Etymology

From Latin detrimentum, meaning “loss, damage, or harm,” derived from de- (“away”) + terere (“to rub, wear away”). The adjective detrimental evolved to describe things that cause harm or loss.

Grammar Information

  • Used as an adjective before a noun: detrimental effects, detrimental impact.
  • Often followed by “to”: detrimental to health, detrimental to growth.
  • Common in formal writing, scientific contexts, and discussions of risk.

Translations

  • Hindi: हानिकारक
  • Tamil: கெட்டவொரு / தீங்கு விளைவிக்கும்
  • Telugu: హానికరం / క్షతిపరచే
  • Spanish: perjudicial / dañino
  • French: préjudiciable / nuisible
  • German: schädlich / nachteilig
  • Arabic: ضار / مؤذي

Idioms & Phrases

  • Detrimental effect – a harmful effect
  • Detrimental to progress – causing setbacks or obstacles
  • Detrimental influence – negative or harmful impact