noun
detriment
DEHT-rih-muhnt
noun
1
Harm or damage, especially as a drawback or cost of something else.
"He worked long hours, to the detriment of his health."
"The policy benefited shareholders to the detriment of workers."
How to Use Detriment
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishHarm caused to one thing as a side effect of favoring another.
Common pairings
to the detriment of
without detriment
Word Forms
detrimented past tense, detriments plural, detriments singular
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He worked long hours, to the _____ of his health.
Etymology
From Old French detriement, from Latin detrimentum ("loss, damage" — literally "a rubbing away"), from deterere ("to wear down").