Meaning & use
detractor
Last updated
Meaning
nouncountable
Someone who criticizes a person, idea or product and tries to lower its reputation.
Grammar: Usually plural and usually described with the thing criticized: the film's detractors.
Patterns
- a detractor of something
- something's detractors
The mayor's detractors say the new plan wastes public money.
Even the book's detractors admit that it is well written.
The singer's detractors dismissed the album as boring.
Word forms
| plural | detractors |
|---|
Common combinations
- vocal detractors
- The policy has vocal detractors in both parties.
- its detractors
- Its detractors call the project a vanity scheme.
- critics and detractors
- Both critics and detractors watched the launch closely.
- win over detractors
- The new coach slowly won over his detractors.
- harsh detractors
- Harsh detractors pointed out every mistake.
- supporters and detractors
- Supporters and detractors crowded the town hall.
Synonyms and how they differ
- critic
- A critic may praise or criticize fairly, while a detractor is mainly negative.
- opponent
- An opponent opposes something actively, whereas a detractor mostly speaks against it.
- naysayer
- Naysayer is informal and suggests someone who always expects failure.
- disparager
- Disparager is rarer and stresses belittling language.
Opposites
Word family
- detract verb
- to take away from the value of something
- detraction noun
- the act of belittling something
- detractive adjective
- tending to reduce value or reputation
Commonly confused: detractor or distractor? detractor or retractor?
detractor vs distractor
A distractor is something that draws attention away; it is not a critic.
detractor vs retractor
A retractor is a tool or muscle that pulls something back, unrelated to criticism.
Practice
The new tax has many ___ who say it will hurt small businesses.
Choose one answer.
Detractors are people who speak against something, which fits the complaint. Admirers would praise the tax, and donors and founders do not criticize it.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “detractor”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.