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

Randle’s ball-watching on defense has been the bigger detriment. —Jon Krawczynski, The Athletic, 7 Jan. 2025

Micromanagement can be a big detriment to remote teams. —Caroline Castrillon, Forbes, 22 Dec. 2024

Figures like civil rights attorney Gus Garcia and Cesar Chavez, co-founder of the United Farm Workers, believed that Mexican immigrants were a detriment to their respective causes. —Fidel Martinez, Los Angeles Times, 7 Dec. 2024

Top reads of the last week Opinion:WNBA silence on Caitlin Clark fans came at other players' detriment. —David Plazas, The Tennessean, 20 Dec. 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