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Definition of harmful

harmful

/ˈhɑːrm.fəl/
harm · ful
Adverb:harmfully
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harmful Lexical Profile

harmful Game Scores & Validity

• adjective

1

Causing or likely to cause physical, mental, or material damage, injury, or negative effects.

Example

"Prolonged exposure to direct midday sunlight can be harmful to unprotected skin."

Synonyms
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Antonyms
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• Rhymes for harmful

• Nearby Words

harlequin tuskfish
harlot
harm
harmful
harmfully
harmfulness
harmless

Word Origin & Etymology

From Old English hearmful, formed from hearm ('hurt, evil, grief, pain') and the suffix -full ('full of').

Cite this Entry

Wordmom. (2026). Definition of Harmful. In Wordmom Dictionary. Retrieved Nov 5, 2026, from https://wordmom.com/dictionary/harmful
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