A treatment that is detrimental is ____________.
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A
risk-free
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B
destructive
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C
agonizing
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D
effective
A treatment that is detrimental is destructive, causing harm, injury, or worsening of condition rather than therapeutic benefit.
A) risk-free
Risk-free denotes absence of danger, safety rather than harm. Detrimental treatments carry significant risk by definition; risk-free interventions cannot be detrimental.
B) destructive
Destructive precisely captures detrimental's essence: causing damage, deterioration, or functional impairment. Detrimental (detrimentum, "injury") implies net harm outweighing benefit, exactly matching destructive's capacity to impair rather than heal.
C) agonizing
Agonizing denotes extreme pain, sensory experience rather than net outcome. Treatments may be agonizing yet beneficial (surgery); detrimental treatments may lack pain but still cause harm, orthogonal qualities.
D) effective
Effectiveness denotes successful outcome achievement, therapeutic success opposite to detriment. Effective treatments improve condition; detrimental treatments worsen it, representing inverse therapeutic valences.
Conclusion
Detrimental denotes net harm outweighing benefit, distinct from risk-free status, agonizing sensation, or effectiveness. Destructive alone captures detrimental's essential character: capacity to impair function, worsen condition, or cause injury despite therapeutic intent.
Topic Flashcards
Click to FlipWhat adjective describes an action whose harmful effects outweigh any potential good?
Detrimental.
How might an environmental scientist describe a chemical that causes long-term damage to an ecosystem?
As detrimental to the environment.
Which word is a direct synonym for "damaging" or "injurious"?
Detrimental.
In a medical context, what would you call a side effect that worsens the patient's primary condition?
A detrimental side effect.
A lack of sleep is widely considered to be ____________ to both cognitive function and physical health.
detrimental.