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Definition of detriment noun from the Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary

detriment

noun
 
/ˈdetrɪmənt/
 
/ˈdetrɪmənt/
[uncountable, countable, usually singular] (formal)Idioms
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  1. the act of causing harm or damage; something that causes harm or damage
    • Wood accounts for 90% of energy production in some countries, with consequent environmental detriment.
    • Too many tests are a detriment to good education.
    Word Originlate Middle English in the sense ‘loss sustained by damage’: from Old French, from Latin detrimentum, from detri-, stem of deterere ‘wear away’.
Idioms
to the detriment of somebody/something | to somebody's/something’s detriment
  1. resulting in harm or damage to somebody/something
    • He was engrossed in his job to the detriment of his health.
without detriment (to somebody/something)
  1. not resulting in harm or damage to somebody/something
    • This tax cannot be introduced without detriment to people’s living standards.
See detriment in the Oxford Advanced American DictionarySee detriment in the Oxford Learner's Dictionary of Academic English
trait
noun
 
 
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