detriment

Everyday

1. (formal) Harm or damage: «to the detriment of your health» means harming your health. tree →
2. (formal) Something that causes harm. tree →

In the lessons

A formal exam word. It appears in phrases: «to the detriment of», «without detriment to», «to someone's detriment». It tells the reader that something causes harm or a loss. In health lessons: too much screen time may be to the detriment of sleep.

Examples

• He played games all night, to the detriment of his homework. tree →
• Eating only sweets is to the detriment of your teeth. tree →
• The new road was built to the detriment of the woodland. tree →
• You can enjoy sport without detriment to your studies. tree →
• Shouting at the team worked to the coach's detriment. tree →
• Pollution is a detriment to the health of rivers. tree →

Note

Formal and uncountable; mostly used in the fixed phrases above. Adjective: «detrimental» (harmful). In speech say «harm», «damage».