harm

harm

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Pronunciation

harm

• /hɑːrm/

• harm: /hɑːrm/ (monosyllabic)

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 Word Form Variations

• Noun:

• Singular: harm

• Plural: harms

• Verb:

• Base form: harm

• Third-person singular present: harms

• Present participle: harming

• Past simple: harmed

• Past participle: harmed

• Adjective: harmful

• Adverb: harmfully

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Definitions, Synonyms and Antonyms

Noun

• Definition 1: Physical or psychological damage, injury, or hurt inflicted upon a person, animal, or object, often resulting in pain, suffering, or a diminished state.

• Synonyms: injury, damage, hurt, mischief, detriment, wrong, affliction

• Antonyms: benefit, aid, help, advantage, good, well-being, blessing

• Definition 2: A negative consequence or adverse effect that causes a decline in value, health, or well-being.

• Synonyms: detriment, disadvantage, impairment, destruction, ruin, loss

• Antonyms: improvement, gain, advantage, boon, progress, restoration

Verb

• Definition 1: To inflict physical or psychological injury, damage, or pain upon someone or something.

• Synonyms: injure, hurt, damage, wound, impair, abuse, violate

• Antonyms: help, aid, assist, heal, protect, safeguard, mend

• Definition 2: To cause a negative impact, decline, or deterioration in the condition, value, or well-being of something.

• Synonyms: detriment, undermine, compromise, jeopardize, spoil, ruin, vitiate

• Antonyms: enhance, improve, benefit, strengthen, promote, foster, ameliorate

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Examples of Use

• Books: "The long-term psychological harm from childhood trauma can manifest in various ways throughout adulthood." (From a recent psychology textbook)

• Newspapers: "Economists warn that the proposed tariffs could cause significant harm to international trade relations." ( The Financial Times, June 2025)

• Online Publications: "Cybersecurity experts advise strong passwords to prevent hackers from harming your personal data." (TechCrunch, May 2025)

• Entertainment Mediums (Film): In a movie scene, a character might exclaim, "I would never intentionally harm anyone!"

• Entertainment Platforms (Video Games): A game tutorial might explain, "Avoid the red areas to prevent harm to your character."

• General Public Discourse: "We need to ensure that new policies do no harm to vulnerable communities."

• Online Forums/Social Media: A user might post, "The continuous negative comments on my post are starting to harm my self-esteem."

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10 Quotes Using Harm

1. "First, do no harm." (Hippocrates, The Hippocratic Oath)

2. "It is better to suffer wrong than to do wrong, and better to be harmed than to harm." (Plato)

3. "Half the harm that is done in this world is due to people who want to feel important. They don't mean to do harm; but the harm does not interest them." (T.S. Eliot)

4. "Anger is an acid that can do more harm to the vessel in which it is stored than to anything on which it is poured." (Mark Twain)

5. "All mankind... being all equal and independent, no one ought to harm another in his life, health, liberty or possessions." (John Locke)

6. "If you can, help others; if you cannot do that, at least do not harm them." (Dalai Lama)

7. "Beauty is the only thing that time cannot harm." (Oscar Wilde)

8. "We sleep safe in our beds because rough men stand ready in the night to visit violence on those who would do us harm." (George Orwell)

9. "The evil that is in the world almost always comes of ignorance, and good intentions may do as much harm as malevolence if they lack understanding." (Albert Camus)

10. "There is no harm in repeating a good thing." (Plato)

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Etymology

The word "harm" has a long history, going back to the very early days of the English language.

It comes from the Old English word "hearm," which meant things like "hurt," "pain," "evil," "grief," or even an "insult." It was used to describe both physical injuries and emotional suffering or wrongdoings.

This Old English word, "hearm," itself has even older roots in what's called Proto-Germanic (an ancient ancestor of languages like English, German, and Norse) as "harmaz," which carried meanings of "pain," "harm," and "shame." Some linguists even trace it back further to a very ancient Indo-European root (kormo-) related to "pain."

So, the very first known uses of "harm" in English, dating from before the year 1150, already carried the meaning of "injury, hurt, or damage," whether it was physical or something more like a misfortune or a wrong. It was used as both a noun (like "suffering great harm") and a verb (like "to harm someone").

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Phrases + Idioms Containing Harm

• Do no harm: To avoid causing injury or damage, especially as a guiding principle.

• No harm done: Said to indicate that despite a minor mishap or mistake, no lasting damage or injury has occurred.

• Out of harm's way: In a safe place, protected from danger.

• Come to harm: To be injured or damaged.

• What's the harm in...? Used to ask what potential negative consequences could arise from a particular action, often implying there are none.

• Harm's way: A dangerous or risky situation. (Often used with "in harm's way" or "out of harm's way.")

• Self-harm: The act of intentionally causing injury to one's own body.

• To mean no harm: To not intend to cause trouble or injury.

• More harm than good: When an action or intervention causes more problems or negative effects than positive ones.

• Lest any harm befall: A formal or literary way of saying "to prevent any harm from happening."

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Vocabulary-Based Stories from SEA

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Source Information

Definition of harm from The Academic Glossary at Self Exploration Academy, a Urikville Press Publication. © All rights reserved.

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