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Prepositions after adjectives

Injurious with prepositions

Injurious is normally followed by to when describing harm or damage.

Quick answer

Which preposition follows injurious?

The standard pattern is injurious to, meaning harmful to someone or something. Injurious for is generally nonstandard as a complement. In may appear separately in phrases of place or situation, not as the complement of injurious.

Smoking is injurious to health.
The chemicals were injurious to marine life.
Excess heat can be injurious to crops.

Choose the pattern by meaning

These forms are not interchangeable. Choose the construction by meaning, not by which preposition appears most often.

1
injurious to + person/thing

Showing harm or damage

Use injurious to for things that cause injury, damage, or negative effects.

The fumes are injurious to workers.
These habits may be injurious to your teeth.
2
in + place or situation

Using a separate adjunct phrase

In can appear elsewhere in the sentence to show location or situation, but not as the complement after injurious.

The substance was injurious to animals in laboratory tests.
The policy proved injurious to trade in rural areas.

See the difference in context

The same subject can take different constructions because each sentence answers a different question.

Construction
Example
Meaning
injurious to
Too much sunlight is injurious to the skin.
Standard pattern meaning harmful to something.
injurious for
'Injurious for' is generally not idiomatic as a complement pattern.
Use injurious to instead.
injurious in
In may appear as a separate phrase, as in 'injurious to health in extreme cases'.
In is not normally selected directly by injurious.

Common mistakes

Some combinations appear in real text but do not mean what learners often assume.

Using for after injurious

For is not the standard complement.

✕ This smoke is injurious for children. ✓ This smoke is injurious to children.

Using in as the main complement

In usually introduces a separate place or situation phrase.

✕ The chemical is injurious in humans. ✓ The chemical is injurious to humans.

Omitting the object after to

Injurious to usually needs the affected person or thing.

✕ The material is injurious. ✓ The material is injurious to health.

Quick practice

Choose the expression that matches the intended meaning.

1. These gases are injurious ___ human health.
2. Choose the correct sentence.
3. The effects were injurious to crops ___ dry regions.

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Frequently asked questions

What does 'injurious to' mean?

It means harmful or damaging to someone or something.

Is 'injurious for' correct?

No. Standard English uses injurious to.

Can 'in' appear after injurious?

Yes, but usually as part of a separate phrase showing place or situation, not as the complement selected by injurious.

ideal-for-in-as-at, from "identical to" or "identical with"? identifiable by, as, with, in or to? "idle for" or "idle in"? ignorant of, about, to, in or on? "illegal in" or "illegal for"? illustrative of, in, rather or for? ill with, in, for, at or of? "immune to" or "immune from"? "impatient with" or "impatient for"? "imperative for" or "imperative to"? impervious to, from or in?

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