Synonyms of harmful

harmful

adjective

ˈhärm-fəl 

as in detrimental

causing or capable of causing harm

DDT has been proven to be extremely harmful to the environment

Synonyms & Similar Words

• detrimental
• damaging
• dangerous
• adverse
• bad
• hazardous
• poisonous
• injurious
• deleterious
• pernicious
• evil
• hurtful
• infectious
• prejudicial
• noxious
• baneful
• mischievous
• wicked
• ill
• destructive
• nocuous
• hostile
• baleful
• unsafe
• deadly
• lethal
• infective
• risky
• venomous
• threatening
• inimical
• sinister
• unfriendly
• insidious
• ominous
• contagious
• fatal
• unhealthy
• menacing
• perilous
• unhealthful
• unwholesome
• malignant
• pestilential
• pestiferous
• unsound
• ruinous
• pestilent
• killer
• nasty
• imperilling
• jeopardizing
• imperiling
• parlous
• noisome

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• harmless
• beneficial
• benign
• safe
• innocuous
• useful
• innocent
• advantageous
• inoffensive
• favorable
• good
• helpful
• healthy
• healthful
• wholesome
• propitious
• remedial
• salutary
• anodyne
• curative
• salubrious
• sound
• hurtless
• palliative
• secure
• nontoxic
• nonpoisonous
• benignant
• nondestructive
• noninfectious
• noncorrosive
• nonfatal
• nonlethal
• nonpolluting
• nonvenomous

Examples of harmful in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Wasps can be harmful due to their stings, which may cause pain, swelling and allergic reactions. —Tiffany Acosta, The Arizona Republic, 16 Aug. 2024

However, the survey also found a 10 percentage point increase in adults 55 and older who reported drinking, and a new study says that could be harmful for their overall health. —Brenda Goodman, CNN, 14 Aug. 2024

The low levels of these chemicals aren’t harmful to most plants in small doses, but effects can accumulate. —Andy Wilcox, Better Homes & Gardens, 17 Aug. 2024

In California, and across the nation, Gilead should be held accountable for its uniquely harmful patent hop. —Peter Staley, STAT, 16 Aug. 2024