mutual harm

USAGE SUMMARY

"mutual harm" is correct and usable in written English.
You can use the phrase "mutual harm" to refer to damage or injury that is shared or causes an equal amount of damage to all parties involved. For example, "The decision to go to war resulted in mutual harm for both sides."

✓ Grammatically correct

News & Media

Science

Wiki

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

1 human-written examples

This leads to the escalation of mutual harm, to the illusion that others are solely responsible for it and to the belief that our actions are justifiable responses to theirs.

The New York Times

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

58 human-written examples

Reports of Epicurus' "Key Doctrines" (see the entry on Epicurus) include instead a contractarian view of justice for mutual protection from harm (reminiscent of Glaucon's initial proposal about justice in Republic Book II, which itself seems to echo the nomos-phusis debate among the sophists).

SEP

Bank of America on Tuesday pledged to reimburse more mutual fund shareholders harmed by improper trading at a hedge fund being investigated by New York Attorney General Eliot Spitzer.

Forbes

And incorporate my own internal control where both of us could be checking on each others' work and pro-actively looking for mistakes which could potentially harm our mutual client.

Huffington Post

"Chumming with a secessionist is playing with fire, which severely harms the mutual trust between China and the United States, and downgrades Obama's credit as a national leader for breaking his commitments to China on the Tibet issue," the state newswire Xinhua wrote in a commentary just before the meeting.

The Guardian

America's Washington Mutual has done itself no harm by selling coffee and what-not in its branches.

The Economist

This decision was respected by Jackson, and apparently did no harm to the mutual respect between him and Slaughter.

Wikipedia

In order to address the opioid addiction epidemic, we're going to need a spectrum of services that include medication treatments (like methadone and buprenorphine), residential treatment, mutual help groups (like Narcotics Anonymous), harm reduction measures (like SIFs) and educational efforts—especially about the dangers of mixing multiple drugs.

Vice

No harm, no foul, just mutual détente.

The New York Times - Books

Nursing mutual resentment can only do us harm.

The Guardian - Opinion

Mr. Hsia added, "This seriously harms the cross-strait mutual trust built up over the past eight years".

The New York Times

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

Use "mutual harm" when you want to emphasize that all parties involved in a situation are experiencing negative consequences as a result of their actions or the actions of others. It is particularly effective in discussions of conflict, negotiation, and policy.

Common error

Avoid using "mutual harm" when the harm is disproportionately affecting one party. The phrase implies a relatively equal distribution of negative consequences; if the harm is significantly skewed, a more specific term may be more appropriate.

Linguistic Context

The phrase "mutual harm" functions as a noun phrase, typically used as an object or subject in a sentence to describe a situation where all involved parties experience negative consequences. This is supported by Ludwig AI, which confirms its grammatical correctness and usability.

Expression frequency: Rare

Frequent in

News & Media

30%

Science

20%

Formal & Business

15%

Less common in

Encyclopedias

10%

Wiki

10%

Reference

5%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

In summary, "mutual harm" is a grammatically sound and usable phrase, as confirmed by Ludwig, that describes shared negative consequences. Though relatively rare in occurrence, it appears across various contexts, particularly in news, science, and formal settings. When using this phrase, ensure that the harm is indeed reciprocally experienced to avoid misrepresenting the situation. Alternatives like "reciprocal damage" or "shared injury" may be suitable depending on the nuance you wish to convey. Remember that the phrase's effectiveness lies in its ability to highlight the shared consequences of actions or circumstances.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

reciprocal harm

Stresses harm being done in return or reciprocally.

reciprocal damage

Focuses on the damage being returned or exchanged between parties.

joint harm

Similar to "mutual harm", but stresses the harm being undertaken together or jointly.

reciprocal destruction

Emphasizes the destructive aspect being returned by both sides

shared injury

Highlights that the injury or hurt is experienced by all involved.

joint damage

Focuses on physical or material damage that is collectively experienced.

collective detriment

Emphasizes the negative impact on a group or collective entity.

collective injury

Highlights that all the injuries are collective

shared suffering

Highlights the experience of suffering being collectively felt.

shared negative consequences

Broader term emphasizing the negative results experienced together

FAQs

How can I use "mutual harm" in a sentence?

You can use "mutual harm" to describe situations where all parties involved experience negative consequences, such as "The trade war resulted in "mutual harm" for both economies".

What are some alternatives to "mutual harm"?

Alternatives to "mutual harm" include "reciprocal damage", "shared injury", or "collective detriment", depending on the specific context.

Is "mutual harm" the same as "self-harm"?

No, "mutual harm" refers to harm shared between two or more parties, while self-harm refers to harm that someone inflicts on themselves.

When is it appropriate to use "mutual harm" instead of "damage"?

"Mutual harm" is appropriate when the damage is reciprocal and affects all parties involved. "Damage" is more general and can refer to harm affecting only one party.