HARM: Synonyms and Related Words. What is Another Word for HARM?

Need another word that means the same as “harm”? Find 41 synonyms and 30 related words for “harm” in this overview.

The synonyms of “Harm” are: damage, hurt, scathe, injury, trauma, impairment, pain, suffering, distress, anguish, torment, grief, evil, badness, wrong, mischief, wrongdoing, immorality, ill, wickedness, vice, iniquity, sin, sinfulness, nefariousness, injure, wound, maltreat, mistreat, misuse, ill-treat, ill-use, abuse, molest, inflict pain on, inflict suffering on, handle roughly, treat roughly, do violence to, lay a finger on

Harm as a Noun

Definitions of "Harm" as a noun

According to the Oxford Dictionary of English, “harm” as a noun can have the following definitions:

• The act of damaging something or someone.
• Physical injury, especially that which is deliberately inflicted.
• Actual or potential ill effects or danger.
• Material damage.
• The occurrence of a change for the worse.
• Any physical damage to the body caused by violence or accident or fracture etc.

Synonyms of "Harm" as a noun (25 Words)

anguish	Severe mental or physical pain or suffering. Philip gave a cry of anguish.
badness	Poor quality or low standard. None of you are doing justice to the badness of this film.
damage	Any harm or injury resulting from a violation of a legal right. How much is the damage.
distress	Extreme anxiety, sorrow, or pain. The death of his wife caused him great distress.
evil	That which causes harm or destruction or misfortune- Shakespeare. Attempts to explain the origin of evil in the world.
grief	Intense sorrow caused by loss of a loved one (especially by death. She was overcome with grief.
hurt	Any physical damage to the body caused by violence or accident or fracture etc. Rolling properly into a fall minimizes hurt.
ill	A problem or misfortune. How could I wish him ill.
immorality	Morally objectionable behavior. He believed his father had been punished by God for his immorality.
impairment	The act of making something futile and useless (as by routine. A degree of physical or mental impairment.
iniquity	Absence of moral or spiritual values. A den of iniquity.
injury	Wrongdoing that violates another’s rights and is unjustly inflicted. She suffered an injury to her back.
mischief	Harm or trouble caused by someone or something. She was bent on making mischief.
nefariousness	The quality of being wicked.
pain	Emotional distress; a fundamental feeling that people try to avoid. She s in great pain.
scathe	The act of damaging something or someone. It was cheering to hear that you had got through winter and diphtheria without scathe.
sin	The 21st letter of the Hebrew alphabet. The human capacity for sin.
sinfulness	Estrangement from god.
suffering	Psychological suffering. His disregard for the sufferings of his fellow countrymen.
torment	A feeling of intense annoyance caused by being tormented. The journey must have been a torment for them.
trauma	Emotional shock following a stressful event or a physical injury, which may lead to long-term neurosis. The event is relived with all the accompanying trauma.
vice	A specific form of evildoing. A mobile phone network is being used to peddle vice.
wickedness	The quality of being disgusting to the senses or emotions. The wickedness of the regime.
wrong	An unjust, dishonest, or immoral act. I have done you a great wrong.
wrongdoing	Illegal or dishonest behaviour. Police have denied any wrongdoing.

Usage Examples of "Harm" as a noun

• I didn't mean to cause him any harm.
• I can't see any harm in it.
• It's unlikely to do much harm to the engine.

Harm as a Verb

Definitions of "Harm" as a verb

According to the Oxford Dictionary of English, “harm” as a verb can have the following definitions:

• Damage the health of.
• Have an adverse effect on.
• Physically injure.
• Cause or do harm to.

Synonyms of "Harm" as a verb (16 Words)

abuse	Use foul or abusive language towards. The actress abused the policeman who gave her a parking ticket.
do violence to	Be sufficient; be adequate, either in quality or quantity.
handle roughly	Act on verbally or in some form of artistic expression.
hurt	Hurt the feelings of. High interest rates are hurting the local economy.
ill-treat	Treat badly.
ill-use	Treat badly.
inflict pain on	Impose something unpleasant.
inflict suffering on	Impose something unpleasant.
injure	Cause damage or affect negatively. The explosion injured several people.
lay a finger on	Lay eggs.
maltreat	Treat (a person or animal) cruelly or with violence. Children die from neglect or are maltreated by their carers.
mistreat	Treat (a person or animal) badly, cruelly, or unfairly. A dog which has been mistreated will remain very wary of strangers.
misuse	Apply to a wrong thing or person; apply badly or incorrectly. We felt that we had been deceived and misused.
treat roughly	Subject to a process or treatment, with the aim of readying for some purpose, improving, or remedying a condition.
wound	Inflict a wound on. The sergeant was seriously wounded.

Usage Examples of "Harm" as a verb

• This could harm his World Cup prospects.
• The villains didn't harm him.
• These pills won't harm your system.
• Smoking when pregnant can harm your baby.

Associations of "Harm" (30 Words)

con	A swindle in which you cheat at gambling or persuade a person to buy worthless property. The Charter is a glossy public relations con.
damage	Inflict damage upon. These fine china cups damage easily.
damaging	Designed or tending to discredit, especially without positive or helpful suggestions. Damaging allegations of corruption.
defect	A mark or flaw that spoils the appearance of something (especially on a person’s body. If there are any defects you should send it back to the manufacturer.
demerit	A fault or disadvantage. The merits and demerits of these proposals.
detriment	The state of being harmed or damaged. Light industry can be carried out in a residential area without detriment to its amenities.
detrimental	(sometimes followed by `to’) causing harm or injury. Moving her could have a detrimental effect on her health.
disadvantage	Put at a disadvantage hinder harm. The pension scheme tends to disadvantage women.
disfigure	Mar or spoil the appearance of. The vandals disfigured the statue.
downside	A negative aspect of something that is generally positive. He says being a rock star is a fun line of work when you re young but admits fame can have its downsides.
drawback	A feature that renders something less acceptable; a disadvantage or problem. He pointed out all the drawbacks to my plan.
failing	Failure to reach a minimum required performance. His failing the course led to his disqualification.
fatal	Controlled or decreed by fate; predetermined. The fatal day of the election finally arrived.
fault	Of a rock formation be broken by a fault or faults. He served too many double faults.
flawed	Having or characterized by a fundamental weakness or imperfection. A fatally flawed strategy.
harmful	Causing or capable of causing harm. The ozone layer blocks the harmful rays from the sun.
inadequacy	Unsatisfactoriness by virtue of being inadequate. Her feelings of personal inadequacy.
injurious	(of language) maliciously insulting; libellous. Food which is injurious to health.
injury	Damage to a person’s feelings. An ankle injury.
irremediable	Impossible to cure or put right. Irremediable marital breakdowns.
libel	The action or crime of publishing a libel. The newspaper was accused of libeling him.
libellous	Harmful and often untrue; tending to discredit or malign. A libellous newspaper story.
maleficent	Causing harm or destruction, especially by supernatural means. A maleficent deity.
mischief	A person responsible for harm or annoyance. She was bent on making mischief.
misconceive	Fail to understand (something) correctly. Criticism of the trade surplus in Washington is misconceived.
misunderstanding	An understanding of something that is not correct. He left the army after a slight misunderstanding with his commanding officer.
neurotoxin	Any toxin that affects neural tissues.
prejudicial	(sometimes followed by `to’) causing harm or injury. The reporter s coverage resulted in prejudicial publicity for the defendant.
shortcoming	A failing or deficiency. He is so forthright about his shortcomings it s hard to chastise him.
unforced	Not brought about by coercion or force. An unforced cheerfulness.