harmful
Bad for you
Harmful means causing or capable of causing damage, injury, or negative effects.
Harmful substances pose health risks; harmful habits undermine well-being.
The word applies broadly—physical harm, psychological damage, environmental degradation, or social consequences: Smoking is harmful to your health.
Something can be harmful without being intentionally malicious.
Causing emotional pain
- damagingCausing loss or injury
- traumatizingCausing psychological harm
- distressingCausing anguish or worry
- upsettingCausing emotional turmoil
wounding · scarring · demoralizing · demeaning · degrading · humiliating · abusive · manipulative
Causing moral decay
- perniciousGradually and subtly harmful
- maliciousMeaning to do harm
- malevolentHarboring ill will
- nefariousExtremely evil or villainous
sinister · evil · wicked · immoral · unethical · exploitative · predatory · insidious
Causing physical harm
- damagingCausing loss or injury
- woundingCausing physical injury
- bruisingCausing tissue discoloration
- hurtfulCausing emotional pain
painful · dangerous · unsafe · perilous · hazardous · risky · threatening · violent
Capable of causing death
- venomousProducing injected toxins
- noxiousHarmful, especially when inhaled
- carcinogenicCauses cancer
- contaminatedMade impure by contact
polluting · corrosive · caustic · radioactive · mutagenic · neurotoxic · pathogenic · infectious
Harmful to wellbeing
- unwholesomeDetrimental to wellbeing
- detrimentalCausing harm or damage
- deleteriousCausing harm or damage
- debilitatingCausing severe impairment
sickening · morbid · weakening · impairing · addictive · sedentary · carcinogenic · fattening
Causing loss or injury
- ruinousCausing severe destruction
- devastatingCausing severe damage
- catastrophicCausing complete destruction
- disastrousCausing great damage
ravaging · annihilating · demolishing · decimating · wrecking · deteriorating · degrading · eroding
Introducing harmful contaminants
- contaminatingMaking something impure
- emissionsSubstances released into air
- smogSunlight-activated urban pollution
- carbonSixth element, atomic symbol C
greenhouse · exhaust · effluent · industrial waste · deforestation · acid rain · eutrophication · biodegradation
hurtful
Causing emotional pain
- damagingCausing loss or injury
- traumatizingCausing psychological harm
- distressingCausing anguish or worry
upsetting · wounding · scarring · demoralizing · demeaning · degrading · humiliating · abusive · manipulative · gaslighting
corrupting
Causing moral decay
- perniciousGradually and subtly harmful
- maliciousMeaning to do harm
- malevolentHarboring ill will
nefarious · sinister · evil · wicked · immoral · unethical · exploitative · predatory · insidious · baneful
injurious
Causing physical harm
hurtful · painful · dangerous · unsafe · perilous · hazardous · risky · threatening · violent · brutal
poisonous
Capable of causing death
- venomousProducing injected toxins
- noxiousHarmful, especially when inhaled
- carcinogenicCauses cancer
contaminated · polluting · corrosive · caustic · radioactive · mutagenic · neurotoxic · pathogenic · infectious · insalubrious
unhealthy
Harmful to wellbeing
- unwholesomeDetrimental to wellbeing
- detrimentalCausing harm or damage
- deleteriousCausing harm or damage
debilitating · sickening · morbid · weakening · impairing · addictive · sedentary · carcinogenic · fattening · processed
damaging
Causing loss or injury
- ruinousCausing severe destruction
- devastatingCausing severe damage
- catastrophicCausing complete destruction
disastrous · ravaging · annihilating · demolishing · decimating · wrecking · deteriorating · degrading · eroding · corroding
polluting
Introducing harmful contaminants
- contaminatingMaking something impure
- emissionsSubstances released into air
- smogSunlight-activated urban pollution
carbon · greenhouse · exhaust · effluent · industrial waste · deforestation · acid rain · eutrophication · biodegradation · ecosystem damage
- Danger Levelsdanger, high risk, high-risk, low risk, critical
- safety labelssafe, unsafe, dangerous, hazardous, toxic
- qualitative judgmentsgood, bad, better, worse, best
- safety signswarning sign, warning signs, danger sign, caution sign, warning labels
- wickedevil, wicked, villainous, malicious, sinister
- meanmean, cruel, unkind, nasty, hurtful
harmfulbeneficial
Producing good results
helpful · therapeutic · healthful · healing · wholesome
harmfulharmless
Causing no injury
safe · innocuous · benign · inoffensive · nontoxic
harmfuladvantageous
Providing benefit or gain
useful · good · propitious · constructive · positive
- harmful algal bloomsToxic aquatic microorganism outbreaks
- not harmful
- harmful algae