detriment

noun

det·​ri·​ment ˈde-trə-mənt 

1

: injury, damage

did hard work without detriment to his health

2

: a cause of injury or damage

a detriment to progress

Synonyms

• affliction
• damage
• harm
• hurt
• injury

Examples of detriment in a Sentence

opponents of casino gambling claim that it is a detriment to society at large

the requirement that runners wear shoes for the race worked to his detriment since he was used to running barefoot

Recent Examples on the Web

While cheap ad inventory won’t address the right audience, relying too heavily on individual targeting also comes with detriments. —Andrea Wasserman, Forbes, 5 Nov. 2024

This is a maddening way to end a season that has taken great pains to explain what is going on to its detriment! —James Grebey, Vulture, 31 Oct. 2024

But whereas Statues Also Die focuses, to its detriment, solely on France and America, Dahomey smartly exceeds the West by spending most of its runtime in Benin. —Alex Greenberger, ARTnews.com, 24 Oct. 2024

Plus, her success and desire to spend time with her boyfriend shouldn’t be viewed as a detriment to his career. —Jenzia Burgos, StyleCaster, 5 Oct. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, borrowed from Middle French & Latin; Middle French, borrowed from Latin dētrīmentum "reduction in quantity, diminishment, harm, damage," from dētrī-, variant stem of dēterere "to wear away, rub off, lessen, impair" + -mentum -ment — more at detritus

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing detriment

• to one's detriment
• to the detriment of
• without detriment to

Kids Definition

detriment

noun

det·​ri·​ment ˈde-trə-mənt 

: injury or damage or its cause

Legal Definition

detriment

noun

det·​ri·​ment ˈde-trə-mənt 

1

: injury, loss

also : the cause of an injury or loss

2

: a giving up of a thing or mode of conduct to which one is entitled that constitutes consideration for a contract

called also legal detriment

detrimental

ˌde-trə-ˈmen-təl 

adjective

detrimentally adverb