as in harmful
causing or capable of causing harm
the damaging effects of the sun on unprotected skin
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in injuring
to reduce the soundness, effectiveness, or perfection of
the explosion in the sewers damaged the entire city's water supply
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in wounding
to cause bodily damage to
his knee was badly damaged in the accident, and he walked with a limp for months
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Recent Examples of damaging
Briana Waxman, CNN Money, 29 Apr. 2026
The main threats are expected to include mostly damaging winds and large hail, but tornadoes can't be ruled out.
—ABC News, 29 Apr. 2026
Sharon Bernstein, Sacbee.com, 1 May 2026
In February 2026, a Russian attack drone struck the New Safe Confinement structure, damaging part of the protective system designed to contain the radioactive remains of Reactor Number 4.
—Benjamin MacK-Jackson, The Orlando Sentinel, 30 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for damaging
Adjective
Tuesday’s storms also brought massive hail up to grapefruit size near Godley, Texas, while stones up to tennis ball and baseball size pummeled Springfield, Missouri, damaging vehicles and knocking down power poles.
—Briana Waxman, CNN Money, 29 Apr. 2026
The main threats are expected to include mostly damaging winds and large hail, but tornadoes can't be ruled out.
—ABC News, 29 Apr. 2026
Verb
The charge of damaging federal property stems from his car hitting the corner of the ICE vehicle, the indictment shows.
—Sharon Bernstein, Sacbee.com, 1 May 2026
In February 2026, a Russian attack drone struck the New Safe Confinement structure, damaging part of the protective system designed to contain the radioactive remains of Reactor Number 4.
—Benjamin MacK-Jackson, The Orlando Sentinel, 30 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for damaging
Recent Examples of Synonyms for damaging
Adjective
-
South Florida frequently sees sargassum washing ashore on its beaches, but the brown seaweed generally isn't harmful to humans.—
Sarah Perkel,
USA Today,
4 May 2026
-
Companies should be required to disclose how their algorithms promote content to minors and be held responsible for knowingly amplifying harmful material, including content linked to self-harm, exploitation, or harassment.—
Linh Tat,
Oc Register,
4 May 2026
Verb
-
Based on preliminary data from the CHP’s Statewide Integrated Traffic Records System, more than 110,000 crashes resulted from unsafe speeds, leading to more than 400 deaths and injuring more than 68,000 people, the agency said.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
28 Apr. 2026
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As Sousa-Martins drove forward, another agent shot at him 13 times, injuring Sousa-Martins as well as Solomon Antonio Serrano-Esquivel, a passenger in one of the ICE vehicles who was already in federal custody.—
Lily Carey,
Baltimore Sun,
27 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
The teen had the gun the shooter used on Monday and is also being charged for shooting and wounding the same victim back in February.—
Kerry Burke,
New York Daily News,
2 May 2026
-
Franqui’s younger brother, also named Edwin Franqui, had been driving a vehicle from which the older Edwin Franqui, the defendant in the case, fired gunshots toward another vehicle, killing its driver and wounding a passenger, court records show.—
Staff Report,
Hartford Courant,
30 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Too much fertilizer can be detrimental to this wildflower.—
Brandee Gruener,
Southern Living,
27 Apr. 2026
-
Indeed, a large body of research has documented the detrimental impact of negative news on individuals’ mental and physical health, attitudes, and behaviors.—
Karen McIntyre,
Encyclopedia Britannica,
27 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Ancient lava fields can be seen as dark lunar maria marring the silvery lunar surface, which themselves are threaded with bright streaks of reflective debris strewn across the surface by violent asteroid strikes.—
Anthony Wood,
Space.com,
2 Apr. 2026
-
The demoralizing graffiti marring the main entrance to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints at 360 Lenox Ave.—
Colin Mixson,
New York Daily News,
12 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Farmers are hurting, and every American has a stake in their future.—
The Virginian Pilot And Daily Press Editorial Board,
The Orlando Sentinel,
3 May 2026
-
Yet some analysts say the loss of a full-fledged airline, especially a budget one like Spirit, would also end up hurting consumers — not to mention its approximately 17,000 employees.—
Jay Blackman,
NBC news,
1 May 2026
Adjective
-
Gabriel Basso stars as Sutherland, a formerly low-level FBI agent who has taken on increasingly dangerous assignments as part of a counterintelligence group within the bureau called Night Action.—
Rick Porter,
HollywoodReporter,
4 May 2026
-
Bessent has compared the Fed's growing balance sheet to a dangerous lab experiment.—
Steve Liesman,Matt Peterson,
CNBC,
4 May 2026
Verb
-
In this new work, 3D printing and computational design optimization were combined to create a complex, interlocking electrode structure that maximizes storage space without compromising performance.—
Mrigakshi Dixit,
Interesting Engineering,
6 May 2026
-
The company says the entry point is competitive relative to some comparable health franchise concepts, which can matter when the goal is to scale quickly without compromising operator quality.—
Connie Etemadi,
USA Today,
6 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Damaging.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/damaging. Accessed 8 May. 2026.
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