GRE Words for Harmful and Damaging
These 9 GRE words all share the meaning of harmful and damaging. Studying them as one cluster is far more efficient than learning each in isolation, because the GRE tests words by how they relate to each other. Each entry below links to a full definition page with example sentences and memory hooks.
Why this cluster matters
On Sentence Equivalence you must choose two words that give the sentence the same meaning. That means the answer is almost always a synonym pair pulled from a cluster like this one. Watch the connotation tone on each word: a positive and a negative word rarely form a correct pair, even when their definitions look close.
The 9 words
Causing harm or ruin; pernicious; destructive
Causing harm or damage; injurious
Causing great damage or harm; highly damaging
Tending to cause harm; damaging
Causing or likely to cause damage or harm
To speak about someone in a harmful or untruthful way; evil in nature
Harmful, poisonous, or very unpleasant
Having a harmful effect, especially in a gradual or subtle way
Disastrous; causing great damage or destruction
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