as in harmful
causing or capable of causing harm
the damaging effects of the sun on unprotected skin
Synonyms & Similar Words
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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
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of damaging
Mary Wasson, Austin American Statesman, 9 Jan. 2026
This is most damaging to wool and silk fabrics and leather shoes.
—Mary Marlowe Leverette, The Spruce, 8 Jan. 2026
Megan Hughes, Better Homes & Gardens, 10 Jan. 2026
O'Hara said that a group of people split from the main protest and began damaging hotel windows.
—Chandelis Duster, NPR, 10 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for damaging
Adjective
The weather service's Storm Prediction Center has placed Austin and areas east toward the Texas coast under a level 1 out of 5 risk for isolated severe thunderstorms that could include hail, damaging winds or even a tornado.
—Verb
Stop winter precipitation from damaging your trees and shrubs with these must-know tips.
—Recent Examples of Synonyms for damaging
Adjective
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Some harmful varieties closely resemble edible mushrooms, even to experienced foragers.—
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On each phone, the lock screen image was a photo of a child who died young due to the harmful effects of social media.—
Verb
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Police say a rock was thrown at a school bus on the New Jersey Turnpike on Wednesday, shattering a window and seriously injuring a young child.—
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On January 1, history repeated itself when a fire erupted at the Le Constellation nightclub in Switzerland, claiming 40 lives — more than half of them under the age of 18 — and injuring over 100 others.—
Verb
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The suspect, charged with murder and other crimes, allegedly shot at four people in separate vehicles in Prince George’s County, killing one and wounding two.—
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Faceworld members opened fire, killing Jordan and wounding another woman.—
Adjective
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Rat poison, in Saban-speak, is what is detrimental to teams that start believing their hype and losing focus on the controllables like working as hard as possible every day.—
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So did the first-round bye really prove to be that detrimental?—
Verb
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Including playoffs, Mayfield turned the ball over more than anyone else from 2023 through 2024, marring an otherwise fantastic two seasons in Tampa Bay.—
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An optional front rack on both models adds instant utility without marring the retro-fantastic looks.—
Verb
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Not forcing her to go means hurting the other girl, forcing her to go means teaching your daughter that her own comfort should be subjugated to make someone else happy.—
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These are the most casual of gestures, not comparable to relatives hurting a child.—
Adjective
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Pipes and sewers can be very dangerous for pets and wildlife and Roto-Rooter, with specialized equipment and personnel, has become a go-to call to save cats, dogs, turtles and more.—
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Ole Miss has enough dangerous weapons in quarterback Trinidad Chambliss, running back Kewan Lacy and wide receivers Harrison Wallace III, De’Zhaun Stribling and Deuce Alexander to make a tired defense pay.—
Verb
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Autoliv and Tensor say their co-developed system is intended to remove those constraints without compromising safety.—
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Sustainability in travel is the respectful enjoyment of a destination’s environment without compromising the ability for future generations to do the same.—
Cite this Entry
“Damaging.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/damaging. Accessed 13 Jan. 2026.
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