1
Core quality
Causing harm, damage, disadvantage, or an undesirable effect.
Example
Excess salt is detrimental to many freshwater plants.
detrimental
/ˌdetrɪˈmentəl/ · det-rih-MEN-tuladjective
Causing harm, damage, disadvantage, or an undesirable effect.
Use detrimental to express this relationship precisely: causing harm, damage, disadvantage, or an undesirable effect.
What detrimental Really Means
The word becomes easier to use when its closely related senses are separated and compared.
2
Attributive or predicative use
Use this adjective before a suitable noun or after a linking verb such as be or seem.
Example
The delay proved detrimental to public confidence.
3
Analytical distinction
Choose it when this exact descriptive quality matters; a related word may overlap without conveying the same trait.
Example
A practice can be profitable yet environmentally detrimental.
Use detrimental Naturally
Notice how the surrounding noun or clause reveals the exact shade of meaning.
Excess salt is detrimental to many freshwater plants.
The delay proved detrimental to public confidence.
A practice can be profitable yet environmentally detrimental.
Precision Matters
Detrimental overlaps with several common words, but each carries a different emphasis.
detrimental
vs.Means causing harm, damage, disadvantage, or an undesirable effect.
beneficially
Means in a way that produces a helpful, favourable, or advantageous result.
detrimental
vs.Means causing harm, damage, disadvantage, or an undesirable effect.
advantageous
Means providing a benefit or favourable circumstances.
detrimental
vs.Means causing harm, damage, disadvantage, or an undesirable effect.
exacerbate
Means to make a problem, condition, or inequality worse.
detrimental
vs.Means causing harm, damage, disadvantage, or an undesirable effect.
innocuous
Means harmless or unlikely to cause offence or damage.
Test detrimental in Context
The species caused harm to the native population.
1
The introduced species was ___ to native insects, sharply reducing their numbers.