detriment
- 01 C1 Advanced
harm, damage, or a loss that happens to something.
the state of being harmed or damaged; a cause of loss or injury.
Simple“He worked long hours to the detriment of his health.”
In context“The company focused exclusively on short-term profits, ultimately to the detriment of its long-term research and development goals.”
UsageCommonly appears in the fixed phrase 'to the detriment of [something/someone]'.
- 02 C2 Proficiency
a special position of a planet that is thought to make its influence weaker.
the state of a planet when it is in the zodiac sign opposite the one it naturally rules, traditionally considered a weakening placement.
Simple“In her birth chart, Venus is in detriment, which affects how she expresses affection.”
In context“Traditional astrologers argue that a planet in detriment lacks the essential dignity required to manifest its positive traits effectively.”
Antonymsexaltation
“Instead, as night terrors burst the banks into reality, debut director James Ross II concentrates on maintaining an appropriately scrambled and claustrophobic experience – perhaps to the detriment of the fear factor.”
“Donald Trump has repeatedly been accused of politicizing disasters, to the detriment of communities left in limbo.”
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.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.