Injurious means causing harm or damage to someone or something. When a football player makes an injurious tackle, they hurt another player. When someone spreads injurious rumors about a classmate, they damage that person's reputation and feelings.

The word describes anything that causes physical hurt, emotional pain, or other kinds of damage. A hailstorm can be injurious to crops. Smoking is injurious to your health. Reading in dim light might be injurious to your eyesight.

You'll often see this word in formal writing or warnings. A medicine bottle might caution that taking too much could be “injurious to your health.” A judge might rule that certain false statements were injurious to someone's career. The word carries weight: it's more serious than simply “bad” or “unhelpful.” When something is described as injurious, it means real harm has been done or could be done. A single injurious decision by a ship's captain could put the entire crew in danger.