detriment
n. C / Un. the state of being harmed or damaged. You use this when one action causes a negative result for something else.
n. the state of being harmed or damaged; a cause of injury or loss. Often appears in the prepositional phrase 'to the detriment of'.
He worked too much to the detriment of his health.
The company focused on short-term profits to the detriment of its long-term stability and reputation.
The rapid expansion of the urban center proceeded to the detriment of the surrounding wetlands, which were eventually drained to make room for industrial parks.
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.
Commonly used in the fixed phrase 'to the detriment of' followed by a noun phrase.
it was a detriment for his careerit was a detriment to his careerThe noun 'detriment' typically takes the preposition 'to' rather than 'for'.