Collateral damaged

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase "Collateral damaged" is not correct in English; it should be "Collateral damage." You can use "Collateral damage" when referring to unintended damage or casualties that occur as a result of an action, typically in a military or metaphorical context.
Example: "The company's decision to cut costs led to collateral damage in employee morale and productivity."

⚠ May contain grammatical issues

News & Media

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

1 human-written examples

Farmers are unfortunate collateral damaged.

The Guardian

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

54 human-written examples

"I'm collateral damage".

The New York Times

Call it collateral damage.

The Economist

Collateral power, collateral damage.

The New York Times - Magazine

Rockets inflict collateral damage.

The Guardian - Opinion

Collateral damage, for example.

The New York Times

Plame becomes collateral damage.

The Guardian - Opinion

There is collateral damage.

The Guardian

"COLLATERAL DAMAGE," starring Arnold Schwarzenegger and Elias Koteas.

The New York Times

Mullin, unfortunately, was collateral damage.

The New York Times - Sports

One threat is collateral damage.

The Economist

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

Use the correct phrase, which is "collateral damage", to refer to unintended harm or casualties resulting from an action.

Common error

Avoid using the phrase "collateral damaged". The correct term is "collateral damage", which functions as a noun phrase, not a verb phrase. The word "damage" here is a noun, not a verb, so it shouldn't be inflected as "damaged".

Linguistic Context

The phrase "collateral damaged" is an incorrect adjectival phrase attempting to modify a noun, but it fails grammatically. While the intent might be to describe something affected by collateral damage, the correct term is the noun phrase "collateral damage". Ludwig AI confirms that "collateral damaged" is not correct in English.

Expression frequency: Rare

Frequent in

News & Media

100%

Less common in

Science

0%

Formal & Business

0%

Reference

0%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

In summary, while the phrase "collateral damaged" might seem like a logical variation, it is grammatically incorrect. The correct and widely accepted term is "collateral damage", which refers to unintended harm or casualties resulting from an action. Ludwig AI underscores the incorrectness of the phrase. When writing, avoid "collateral damaged" and always use "collateral damage" to accurately convey the intended meaning of unintended harm. Using alternatives such as unintended consequences can also help to refine your writing, especially when emphasizing the broader effects.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

Collateral damage

The correct and widely accepted term for unintended damage or casualties.

Unintended consequences

Focuses on the unexpected results of an action, shifting away from the direct harm implied but more generically referring to secondary consequences.

Accidental repercussions

Highlights the unintended and accidental nature of the consequences, emphasizing lack of intent.

Inadvertent harm

Emphasizes that the harm caused was not intentional or planned.

Incidental losses

Stresses the secondary and less important nature of the losses in relation to the main objective.

Side effects

A more general term that refers to unintended consequences, often used in medical or scientific contexts.

Knock-on effects

Focuses on the chain reaction of consequences stemming from an initial action.

Unforeseen impacts

Highlights that the impacts were not predicted or anticipated in advance.

Secondary casualties

Emphasizes the unintended victims of an action, similar to "collateral damage".

Peripheral damage

Highlights the indirect and less central nature of the damage.

FAQs

What is the correct term, "collateral damage" or "collateral damaged"?

The correct term is "collateral damage". "Collateral damaged" is grammatically incorrect.

How can I use "collateral damage" in a sentence?

"Collateral damage" refers to unintended harm to non-targets. For example: "The military operation resulted in some collateral damage to civilian infrastructure."

What does "collateral damage" mean?

"Collateral damage" refers to unintended or incidental injury or damage to persons or objects that are not the intended target of an action. It's often used in military contexts but can apply to other situations as well.

Are there any alternatives to "collateral damage"?

Depending on the context, you could use phrases like "unintended consequences", "accidental repercussions", or "inadvertent harm" to convey a similar meaning.