detachment

Meanings

1. 1noununcountable

   A calm, distant attitude in which a person does not get emotionally involved or take sides.

   Grammar: Uncountable, often with with or from: she watched with detachment.

   Patterns

   • with detachment
   • detachment from something

   The judge listened to the story with professional detachment.

   He felt a strange detachment from the noisy party around him.

   A doctor needs some detachment to stay calm in a crisis.

2. 2nouncountable or uncountablemedical

   The state or act of separating something from what it was joined to.

   Grammar: Often used in medicine: detachment of the retina.

   Patterns

   • detachment of something from something

   The detachment of the retina can cause sudden loss of sight.

   The detachment of the rocket's first stage happened on schedule.

   Careful detachment of the old paint will protect the wood.

3. 3nouncountablemilitary

   A small group of soldiers or ships sent away from the main force for a specific task.

   Grammar: Countable and military: a detachment of troops.

   Patterns

   • a detachment of something

   A detachment of engineers repaired the bridge.

   The general sent a small detachment to guard the pass.

   A police detachment was posted at the gate.

Word forms

Common combinations

emotional detachment

Her emotional detachment made friends worry about her.

air of detachment

He answered with an air of detachment.

professional detachment

A therapist keeps professional detachment.

retinal detachment

Retinal detachment needs urgent surgery.

a detachment of troops

A detachment of troops was sent to the village.

sense of detachment

She felt a sense of detachment after the news.

Synonyms and how they differ

aloofness

Aloofness suggests being unfriendly or superior, while detachment can be neutral or even wise.

indifference

Indifference means not caring at all, but detachment may mean caring while staying objective.

objectivity

Objectivity is about judging fairly without bias, a more positive and narrower idea than detachment.

unit

Unit is the general word for a military group, while detachment is a smaller part sent away from a larger one.

Opposites

Word family

detach verb

to separate or remove

detached adjective

separate, or emotionally distant

detachable adjective

able to be taken off

attachment noun

an emotional bond or a joined part

Commonly confused: detachment or detachment vs. attachment?

Practice

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