harm reduction

noun

A range of public health policies designed to lessen the negative social or physical consequences associated with various human behaviors, both legal and illegal.

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Meanings

nounharm reduction (uncountable)
  1. uncountablegovernmentA range of public health policies designed to lessen the negative social or physical consequences associated with various human behaviors, both legal and illegal.

    Many harm reduction groups and drug policy experts question the long-term efficacy of scheduling xylazine.

    2023 April 20, Jan Hoffman, “The Fight Over a Drug That Is Great for Horses but Horrific for Humans”, in The New York Times, →ISSN

Translations

French réduction des risques
  • réduction des risquesTranslations
German Schadensminderung
  • SchadensminderungTranslations
Russian снижение вреда
  • снижение вреда (sniženije vreda)Translations
Cite this entry
APA

harm reduction. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/harm%20reduction

MLA

“harm reduction.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/harm%20reduction. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “harm reduction,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/harm%20reduction.

Source: harm reduction on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.