diff --git a/cmake/modules/AddCompilerFlags.cmake b/cmake/modules/AddCompilerFlags.cmake
--- a/cmake/modules/AddCompilerFlags.cmake
+++ b/cmake/modules/AddCompilerFlags.cmake
@@ -98,6 +98,21 @@
 	set(${TARGET_VAR} ${${TARGET_VAR}} PARENT_SCOPE)
 endfunction()
 
+function(add_compile_options_to_configuration CONFIGURATION)
+	foreach(f ${ARGN})
+		check_compiler_flag(FLAG_IS_SUPPORTED CXX ${f})
+		if(${FLAG_IS_SUPPORTED})
+			add_compile_options($<$<CONFIG:${CONFIGURATION}>:${f}>)
+		endif()
+	endforeach()
+endfunction()
+
+function(add_compile_definitions_to_configuration CONFIGURATION)
+	foreach(f ${ARGN})
+		add_compile_definitions($<$<CONFIG:${CONFIGURATION}>:${f}>)
+	endforeach()
+endfunction()
+
 # Note that CMake does not provide any facility to check that a linker flag is
 # supported by the compiler.
 # However since CMake 3.2 introduced the CMP0056 policy, the
diff --git a/src/CMakeLists.txt b/src/CMakeLists.txt
--- a/src/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/src/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -47,10 +47,10 @@
 
 # Define the debugging symbols DEBUG and DEBUG_LOCKORDER when the Debug build
 # type is selected.
-string(APPEND CMAKE_CXX_FLAGS_DEBUG " -DDEBUG -DDEBUG_LOCKORDER")
+add_compile_definitions_to_configuration(Debug DEBUG DEBUG_LOCKORDER)
 
 # Add -ftrapv when building in Debug
-add_compiler_flags_to_var(CMAKE_CXX_FLAGS_DEBUG CXX -ftrapv)
+add_compile_options_to_configuration(Debug -ftrapv)
 
 # Ensure that WINDRES_PREPROC is enabled when using windres.
 if(${CMAKE_SYSTEM_NAME} MATCHES "Windows")
@@ -62,7 +62,7 @@
 endif()
 
 if(${CMAKE_SYSTEM_NAME} MATCHES "Darwin")
-	add_definitions(-DMAC_OSX -DOBJC_OLD_DISPATCH_PROTOTYPES=0)
+	add_compile_definitions(MAC_OSX OBJC_OLD_DISPATCH_PROTOTYPES=0)
 endif()
 
 if(ENABLE_REDUCE_EXPORTS)