harmfulness
/ˈhɑːmflnəs/ (bre, ipa) · /ˈhɑːrmflnəs/ (ame, ipa)
harmfulness — noun
1. the property a substance, action, or situation has of producing damage, injury,
the property a substance, action, or situation has of producing damage, injury, or other bad effects on people, animals, or the environment.
Doctors have spent decades warning the public about the harmfulness of tobacco smoke.
the harmfulness of + [noun phrase] — most common pattern
Folake's research measured the harmfulness of microplastics to small fish in rivers.
harmfulness of X to Y — naming the affected party
The new label clearly shows the harmfulness of the cleaning liquid if it touches the skin.
Many parents now worry about the harmfulness of spending hours on social media each day.
Scientists are still debating the harmfulness of low-level radiation from old power stations.
- toxicity
narrower: poisoning effect, common in chemistry and medicine
- noxiousness
very formal; emphasises being unpleasant as well as damaging
- danger
broader and more everyday; covers risk, not just damage already caused
- harmlessness
direct opposite; quality of causing no damage
- safety
broader; condition of being protected from any kind of harm
文法句型
the harmfulness of [noun phrase]
用法筆記
Almost always preceded by 'the' and followed by 'of + noun'. Subject of discussion is usually a substance (smoke, chemicals), a behaviour (gambling), or an exposure (radiation, noise).