detailed
Americanadjective
-
having many details.
a detailed problem.
- Synonyms:
- complicated, complex, involved
-
thorough in the treatment of details; minute.
a detailed report.
- Synonyms:
- comprehensive, thorough, exhaustive
adjective
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of detailed
Explanation
Use the adjective detailed when you're talking about something that's full of specific points or facts. A detailed weather report includes temperature, cloud cover, and the possibility of rain. Something that's detailed is focused on the fine points or small aspects — a detailed portrait of your grandmother includes every wisp of hair and subtle shade of skin. Detailed explanations take some time, because the person doing the explaining isn't leaving any detail out. The literal Old French meaning of the noun detail is "a cutting in pieces," and it's used to mean "small piece or quantity."
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The segment that doomed Alfonsi, “Inside CECOT,” detailed the Trump administration’s treatment of hundreds of Venezuelan migrants who were deported to an El Salvador prison known for its harsh conditions.
From Los Angeles Times • May 28, 2026
Luckin developed as a tech company with astonishingly detailed data about how customers' preferences change by day, and by different weather.
From BBC • May 28, 2026
A smaller number of snakes that had died on roads or in the wild underwent detailed postmortem examinations that included tissue collection.
From Science Daily • May 26, 2026
A more detailed look into price pressures will come this Thursday when the Commerce Department releases its reading of the personal consumption expenditures price index, The Federal Reserve’s preferred measure of inflation.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 26, 2026
A devoted and talented writer with an eye for detail, her secret diary, which she began at fourteen, detailed her observations and encounters with the political, military, and diplomatic elite.
From "Chasing Lincoln's Killer" by James L. Swanson
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
