as in detrimental
causing or capable of causing harm
DDT has been proven to be extremely harmful to the environment
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Recent Examples of harmful
Several Democratic politicians, to their credit, spoke out against Newsom’s harmful remarks.
—
Sammy Roth, Los Angeles Times, 13 Mar. 2025
Removing a joey from their mother is extremely distressing and any separation is harmful.
—Rebecca Schneid, TIME, 13 Mar. 2025
Some had ignored public health advice and listened to people who said vaccines were harmful — including a local pathologist who promoted COVID-19 vaccine skepticism and ineffective treatments, then won appointment to a public health board alongside Labrador.
—Audrey Dutton, ProPublica, 12 Mar. 2025
The rapid evolution in artificial intelligence worries me, because it can be used for harmful purposes as well as good.
—Gary Robbins, The Mercury News, 12 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for harmful
Sammy Roth, Los Angeles Times, 13 Mar. 2025
Removing a joey from their mother is extremely distressing and any separation is harmful.
—Rebecca Schneid, TIME, 13 Mar. 2025
Some had ignored public health advice and listened to people who said vaccines were harmful — including a local pathologist who promoted COVID-19 vaccine skepticism and ineffective treatments, then won appointment to a public health board alongside Labrador.
—Audrey Dutton, ProPublica, 12 Mar. 2025
The rapid evolution in artificial intelligence worries me, because it can be used for harmful purposes as well as good.
—Gary Robbins, The Mercury News, 12 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for harmful
Recent Examples of Synonyms for harmful
Adjective
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Archer: Not having a rink in L.A. has been really detrimental to the skating community.—
Kailyn Brown,
Los Angeles Times,
16 Apr. 2025
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Furthermore, the study highlights cultural contingencies, indicating that the detrimental effects of workplace aggression are amplified in cultures characterized by high individualism and masculinity.—
Tomas Chamorro-Premuzic,
Forbes.com,
15 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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More studies will have to determine just how damaging microplastics truly are to fertility.—
Melissa Willets,
Parents,
24 Apr. 2025
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But the uncertainty bred by the trade war is just as damaging to businesses’ bottom lines as consumers pull back their spending.—
Amelia Lucas,
CNBC,
24 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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Prioritising one competition in favour of another is a dangerous game to play in any case when the stakes are so high.—
Mark Critchley,
New York Times,
19 Apr. 2025
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The most immediate context for this comment is presumably both the backlash to Hogwarts Legacy and the ongoing backlash over Rowling’s views writ large regarding trans women being dangerous predators.—
Aja Romano,
Vox,
18 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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In the study, the researchers measured patients’ impulse control behavior disorders, excessive daytime sleepiness, blood pressure changes and weight changes, and found that the adverse effects linked to tavapadon were no different from those who received a placebo.—
Melissa Rudy,
FOXNews.com,
18 Apr. 2025
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So far, Lilly said the adverse effects of its new pill are consistent with GLP-1s, a class of medications primarily used to treat type 2 diabetes.—
Jonathan Limehouse,
USA Today,
18 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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That means more time for Rojas, who has shown more bad than good to begin this season.—
Matt Gelb,
New York Times,
18 Apr. 2025
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For electricity generation, water security, or for financial returns, dams are a bad investment.—
Suwanna Gauntlett Upjohn,
Forbes.com,
17 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Harmful.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/harmful. Accessed 28 Apr. 2025.
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