Detriment Meaning
/ˈdɛtɹɪmənt/Definition, CEFR level C1, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
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Definition
nounHarm, hurt, damage.
nounA charge made to students and barristers for incidental repairs of the rooms they occupy.
Sentence Examples
The poor educational policy is a detriment to Japan.
This discovery has been exploited to the detriment of the poor peasants.
Synonyms & Antonyms
Synonyms:
Antonyms:
None
CEFR Practice Quiz
Eating too much sugar is a serious ____ to your long-term dental health.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The poor educational policy is a ____ to Japan.
Word Origin & History
From Old French detriement, from Latin detrimentum (“loss, damage, literally a rubbing off”), from dēterere (“to rub off, wear”), from dē- (“down, away”) + terere (“to rub”). Detriment is related to the word detritus, and built on similar foundations to the word impediment.
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"“But marriage in secret, Nikolay Vsyevolodovitch — a fatal secret. I receive money from you, and I'm suddenly asked the question, 'What's that money for?' My hands are tied; I cannot answer to the detriment of my sister, to the detriment of the family honour.”"
— 1872, Fyodor Dostoyevsky, chapter 7, in The Possessed, archived from the original on 31 Mar 2012:
""Would it be fair to say that when it came to making trouble, you'd make up for what you didn't absolutely know . . . and to our detriment?""
— 2011, Stephen King, 11/22/63, New York: Scribner, →ISBN, page 775:
"“There’s far more evidence for coffee’s benefits than harms,” Dr. Cryer said — which is something worth keeping in mind, he added, while you scroll through social media stories that profess the brew’s detriments."
— 2023 January 17, Trisha Pasricha, “Is It Bad to Drink Coffee on an Empty Stomach?”, in The New York Times, →ISSN, archived from the original on 16 Feb 2023:
"Saturn, Jupiter and Mars from their conjunction to their opposition with the Sun are Oriental, and gain two fortitudes; but from their Opposition to their Conjunction are occidental, and incur two detriments."
— 1660, Henry More, An Explanation of the grand Mystery of Godliness, page 342:
"DEJECTION [with Astrol.] said of the planets, when in their detriment, i.e. when they have lost their force or influence by reason of being in opposition to some other, which check and contract them."
— 1730, NathanBailey, Dictionarium Britannicum,:
Explore More C1 Vocabulary Words
CEFR Practice Quiz
Eating too much sugar is a serious ____ to your long-term dental health.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The poor educational policy is a ____ to Japan.