damaging 1 of 2

adjective

ˈda-mi-jiŋ How to pronounce damaging (audio)
Definition of damagingnext
as in harmful
causing or capable of causing harm the damaging effects of the sun on unprotected skin

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damaging

2 of 2

verb

present participle of damage
1
as in injuring
to reduce the soundness, effectiveness, or perfection of the explosion in the sewers damaged the entire city's water supply

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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

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of damaging
Adjective
On deck is Hungerland, an upcoming feature that confronts obesity and the damaging effects of America’s food system, and Extension, which examines the dangers of social media and its link to many teen suicides. — Andreas Wiseman, Deadline, 2 Oct. 2026 Due to changing storm patterns, the kelp forests are also battered by more damaging winter swells, according to Scripps associate researcher Ed Parnell. — Lila Seidman, Los Angeles Times, 1 Oct. 2026
Verb
This suggests moisture-laden storms with heavy precipitation may be more likely to move up the coast with damaging storm surges. — Brian Tang, The Conversation, 30 Sep. 2026 All this heat has huge ripple effects, driving marine heat waves, fueling stronger and more destructive storms, damaging marine life and increasing sea level rise, both by melting ice and because warmer water takes up more space. — Laura Paddison, CNN Money, 30 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for damaging
Recent Examples of Synonyms for damaging
  1. harmful
  2. injuring
  3. wounding
  4. detrimental
  5. marring
  6. hurting
  7. dangerous
  8. compromising
Adjective
  • While the baits are not harmful to pets, eating several may cause mild stomach upset.
    — Dan Raby, CBS News, 7 Oct. 2026
  • The film primarily follows Frances Haugen (Mikey Madison), a Facebook employee in the company’s civic integrity team, the group tasked with making sure Facebook acts responsibly and avoids the harmful impacts of its product.
    — Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 7 Oct. 2026
Definition of harmful
Verb
  • Kyiv region military administration head Tymur Tkachenko said on Saturday that a warehouse and production premise had been hit, injuring four people.
    — Svitlana Vlasova, CNN Money, 3 Oct. 2026
  • Elephants can be extremely destructive and dangerous, and several African countries must confront the problem of elephant herds destroying farmers’ crops and infrastructure as well as killing or injuring people.
    — Sello Motseta, Los Angeles Times, 2 Oct. 2026
Definition of injuring
Verb
  • In January 2002, Wafa Idris died in Jerusalem while killing one man and wounding about 50 people.
    — Sara Harmouch, The Conversation, 1 Oct. 2026
  • Shots were fired into multiple houses, killing Flax and wounding an adult, Charlotte-Mecklenburg police say.
    — Mark Price, Charlotte Observer, 30 Sep. 2026
Definition of wounding
Adjective
  • That's on the heels of a 41-7 blowout at Northwestern that was ugly enough for Deion Sanders to dismiss a handful of players for conduct detrimental to the team days later.
    — Amber Harding OutKick, FOXNews.com, 30 Sep. 2026
  • To that point, Carter wrote that if the NFL’s relationship with Fanatics were detrimental to the marketplace, there would be higher prices for consumers.
    — Michael McCann, Sportico.com, 30 Sep. 2026
Definition of detrimental
Verb
  • The Trib is withholding Nick’s full name to avoid marring his reputation in the eyes of future employers or others who might run a search on him.
    — Kate Payne, Miami Herald, 30 Sep. 2026
  • The latter track takes overt inspiration from Sofia Coppola’s 2006 film Marie Antoinette, as Jepsen beckons her love to engage in life’s vices with her, like marring bedsheets with fruit stains and dashing nude through the garden.
    — Jaeden Pinder, Rolling Stone, 14 Sep. 2026
Definition of marring
Verb
  • But there is another factor at play hurting the Democratic Party’s public voter registration that may not necessarily translate to people voting for Republican candidates on their ballots.
    — Claire Heddles, Miami Herald, 5 Oct. 2026
  • Janie wouldn't be selling anything or hurting anyone, and RushTok naturally draws high traffic and has a low barrier to entry for new creators.
    — Jesse Watson, FOXNews.com, 3 Oct. 2026
Definition of hurting
Adjective
  • Meanwhile, the financial clout of the industry has grown considerably, resulting in a new, more dangerous problem.
    — Kent Sepkowitz, STAT, 5 Oct. 2026
  • Attempting to de-escalate the scare, Rospotrebnadzor declared the regional sanitary situation stable after secondary testing showed no traces of dangerous pathogens linked to Shipilova’s research.
    — Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 5 Oct. 2026
Definition of dangerous
Verb
  • Rooms feel contemporary yet timeless and are designed for efficiency without compromising on comfort.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 30 Sep. 2026
  • Manufactured entirely in Europe, this garment demonstrates the scalability of circular textile manufacturing without compromising on quality.
    — Roy Stephen Canivel, Footwear News, 30 Sep. 2026
Definition of compromising

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dame
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Cite this Entry

“Damaging.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/damaging. Accessed 9 Oct. 2026.

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