harmfulness
harmfulness — noun
1. the degree to which a substance, activity, or situation is able to hurt people,
the degree to which a substance, activity, or situation is able to hurt people, damage things, or cause health or environmental problems.
Tomás read a report on the harmfulness of plastic waste in the ocean.
collocation: harmfulness of [something]
Scientists have measured the harmfulness of air pollution in several large cities.
Salma warned her friends about the harmfulness of checking their phones while driving.
Asher checked the labels to understand the harmfulness of the cleaning products he bought.
The harmfulness of second-hand smoke was the main topic of Nadia's school project.
- dangerousness
less common; focuses on risk or threat of injury rather than actual damage
- toxicity
narrower meaning; used specifically for poisonous substances and chemicals
- noxiousness
formal; describes harmful effects of gases, fumes, or smoke
- safety
opposite concept — freedom from danger or harm
- harmlessness
direct opposite — the quality of being not harmful
文法句型
harmfulness of [something]
用法筆記
This noun is uncountable and most often used in formal, scientific, or public-health contexts. It describes a general quality or tendency rather than a single harmful event.