Meaning & use
damaged
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“damaged” is a form of “damage”. See that entry for the full set of meanings.
Meanings
adjectivenot comparable
Physically harmed or made less good in quality, condition, or value.
Grammar: Used to describe a noun; it does not usually take 'very' or comparative forms.
Patterns
- damaged goods
- be damaged by something
- seriously damaged
The storm left several damaged houses along the coast.
The package arrived damaged, so I asked for a refund.
His reputation was damaged by the scandal.
verbtransitive
Past tense and past participle of damage: to harm or spoil something.
Grammar: Needs an object: The fire damaged the building.
Patterns
- damaged something
- be damaged by something
The flood damaged the crops last year.
She damaged her knee while playing football.
Common combinations
- badly damaged
- The car was badly damaged in the crash.
- damaged goods
- The store sells damaged goods at a discount.
- emotionally damaged
- He was emotionally damaged by the experience.
- damaged reputation
- The company is trying to repair its damaged reputation.
Synonyms and how they differ
- broken
- Use 'broken' when something is in pieces or no longer works, while 'damaged' can mean harmed but still usable.
- harmed
- 'Harmed' is more general and often used for people or living things; 'damaged' is more common for objects.
- impaired
- 'Impaired' is formal and often used for abilities or functions, not physical objects.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: damaged or damages?
damaged vs damages
As a legal term, 'damages' means money paid as compensation, not physical harm.
Practice
The earthquake left many buildings ___.
Choose one answer.
The sentence needs an adjective to describe the condition of the buildings, so 'damaged' is correct. 'Damage' is a noun or verb, 'damaging' would mean they cause damage, and 'damages' is a plural noun.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “damaged”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.