least structural damage

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase "least structural damage" is correct and usable in written English.
It can be used in contexts discussing the extent of damage, particularly in engineering, construction, or disaster assessments. Example: "After the earthquake, the building sustained the least structural damage compared to others in the area."

✓ Grammatically correct

Science

News & Media

Formal & Business

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

1 human-written examples

The proposed system has the potential to survive DBE and even MCE ground excitations with the least structural damage.

International Journal of Advanced Structural Engineering

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

56 human-written examples

An air plasma sprayed composite YSZ/Gd2O3 coating with a thin ~10 μm Gd2O3 top coat performed the best, as it exhibited the lowest CMAS deposition and the least amount of structural damage.

Surface and Coatings Technology

An incision parallel to these lines will therefore cause the least structural and cosmetic damage.

BioMed Research International

Include photographs of broken equipment, structural damage and damaged inventory.

WikiHow

High winds ripped a ship from its anchor and drove it aground, and at least one other vessel suffered structural damage.

Wikipedia

With sCO2 as the working fluid, the tubes should withstand high pressures (∼25 MPa) and high temperatures (>650 °C) without any structural damage for at least 30 years of operation.

Solar Energy

Close to 275 houses have been destroyed and at least 900 more have varying degrees of structural damage and loss of essential household items.

Unicef

Among the least understood aspects of the disaster were the reports of major structural damage to the submarine beyond the destruction in the forward compartment.

The New York Times

At least three people were killed by flooding triggered by the storm; however, no structural damage was reported.

Wikipedia

A non-linear sliding-window least-squares fitting technique is also derived for estimating the extent of structural damage.

Journal of Sound and Vibration

AROUND THE MAJORS The Minnesota Twins say a magnetic resonance imaging test on catcher Joe Mauer's injured left heel revealed no structural damage to his foot.... Phillies reliever Ryan Madson will miss at least eight weeks after having toe surgery.

The New York Times

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

When describing the impact of an event (e.g. earthquake, storm) on multiple structures, use "least structural damage" to highlight the structure that fared the best. For example: "Among all the buildings affected by the earthquake, the community center sustained the "least structural damage"."

Common error

While "least structural damage" implies minimal harm, it doesn't mean there's no damage at all. Avoid using it in situations where a structure is completely unscathed; instead, opt for phrases like "no structural damage" or "intact."

Linguistic Context

The phrase "least structural damage" functions as a noun phrase, where "least" modifies the adjective "structural" which in turn modifies the noun "damage". It describes the minimum degree of impairment to a structure, typically in comparison to other structures or situations as showed by Ludwig.

Expression frequency: Common

Frequent in

News & Media

34%

Science

33%

Formal & Business

33%

Less common in

Wiki

0%

Encyclopedias

0%

Reference

0%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

In summary, "least structural damage" is a grammatically sound and frequently used phrase to describe the minimum amount of damage to a structure's integrity. As confirmed by Ludwig, its register is neutral, making it appropriate for various contexts, from news reports to technical documents. The phrase implies some damage exists, distinguishing it from "no structural damage". While it appears across different categories, it is often found in Science, News & Media, and Formal & Business domains. When using the phrase, ensure it accurately reflects the situation and consider alternatives like "minimal structural impairment" for a more formal tone.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

minimal structural impairment

Replaces "damage" with a more formal term "impairment" and emphasizes the low degree of structural compromise.

slight structural compromise

Substitutes "damage" with "compromise", indicating a minor weakening of the structure.

negligible structural harm

Replaces "least" with "negligible" and "damage" with "harm", suggesting that the impact on the structure is almost non-existent.

minor structural degradation

Uses "degradation" instead of "damage", highlighting a gradual decline in structural integrity.

reduced structural damage

Focuses on the reduction of damage compared to other situations.

minimum structural impact

Replaces "damage" with "impact", suggesting a broader consideration of the structure's response.

least amount of structural damage

Adds the word "amount" making the expression more verbose.

limited structural damage

Replaces "least" with "limited" emphasizing a restriction on the amount of structural damage.

superficial structural damage

Implies that the damage is only on the surface and does not affect the structural integrity.

a small amount of structural damage

Adds "a small amount of" before "structural damage" to emphasize the limited quantity of damage.

FAQs

How to use "least structural damage" in a sentence?

You can use "least structural damage" to describe a situation where something has suffered the smallest amount of damage to its structure compared to other things. For example, "This building sustained the "least structural damage" compared to the others after the earthquake."

What's the difference between "least structural damage" and "no structural damage"?

"Least structural damage" implies that some damage occurred, but it was minimal compared to other instances. "No structural damage" means that there was absolutely no damage to the structure.

What can I say instead of "least structural damage"?

You can use alternatives like "minimal structural impairment", "slight structural compromise", or "negligible structural harm" depending on the context.

Is "least structural damage" grammatically correct?

Yes, "least structural damage" is grammatically correct. "Least" is used as a superlative adjective modifying "structural damage", indicating the minimum amount of damage.