Meaning & use

detract

verb·Academic

To take away from the value, quality, or overall effect of something.

See it in a sentence

A few careless typos detracted from her otherwise excellent essay.

The loud construction noise detracted from our peaceful weekend at the cabin.

A note on using this word

Almost always followed by "from"; it describes a partial reduction, not complete removal.

Words with a similar meaning

diminishlessen

Choose a synonym to suit the sentence. Meanings can overlap without being identical.

Words with an opposite meaning

Make it your own

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