damaging

1 of 2

adjective

dam·ag·ing ˈda-mi-jiŋ

Synonyms of damaging

: causing or able to cause damage : injurious

has a damaging effect on wildlife

damagingly

ˈda-mi-jiŋ-lē

adverb

damaging

2 of 2

present participle of damage entry 2

Examples of damaging in a Sentence

Adjective the damaging effects of the sun on your skin The storm may produce damaging winds. He says he has damaging information about the candidate. The evidence was very damaging to their case.

Recent Examples on the Web

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Adjective

Scattered thunderstorms could produce damaging wind gusts, particularly Friday afternoon and evening. — Bill Kelly, CBS News, 15 Oct. 2026 Strong overnight thunderstorms brought heavy rain and damaging winds to the Kansas City metro, prompting a tornado warning for Clay County and leaving thousands of people without power Wednesday morning. — Kansas City Star, 14 Oct. 2026 In a culture marked by high-power distance, that’s a particularly damaging signal. — Ryoji Sekido, Fortune, 13 Oct. 2026 None made landfall, but Hurricane Lala in August dumped more than 45 inches of rain in some areas, triggering damaging landslides and flooding. — The Week Us, TheWeek, 13 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for damaging

Word History

First Known Use

Adjective

circa 1828, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler

The first known use of damaging was circa 1828

See more words from the same year

Cite this Entry

Style

“Damaging.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/damaging. Accessed 19 Oct. 2026.

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damaging

adjective

Synonyms of damaging

Examples of damaging in a Sentence

Word History

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