Detrimentally: meaning, definitions and examples

Used in formal or scientific contexts to describe something that causes harm or damage in a general sense.

• Smoking affects health detrimentally.
• The policy changes impacted the economy detrimentally.

Used when emphasizing the harmful effects of an action or substance, often related to health and safety.

• Using plastic harmfully affects the environment.
• Secondhand smoke affects people harmfully.

Appropriate in both formal and informal settings to describe actions or situations that cause physical or metaphorical damage.

• The scandal damaged his reputation damagingly.
• The car accident damaged the vehicle damagingly.

Commonly used to describe impacts that affect someone or something in a bad way. It can be used in a variety of contexts such as personal feelings, public opinion, and outcomes.

• Criticism affected her self-esteem negatively.
• The pandemic negatively impacted businesses worldwide.