harmful
HARM-fuhl/ˈhɑɹmfl̩/UKHAHM-fuhl/ˈhɑːmfl̩/
- 1Causing or likely to cause harm or damage to a person, animal, or thing.
Researchers warned that the food additive could be harmful to young children.
Smoking is harmful to nearly every organ in the body.
Similardamaging, dangerous, detrimental, hazardous, injurious
Oppositeharmless, safe, beneficial, innocuous
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Origin
From Middle English harmful, going back to an Old English form suggested by hearmfullīċ ("harmful, hurtful"); it is essentially "harm" plus the suffix "-ful". It is related to German harmvoll, Danish harmfuld, and Swedish harmfull.