detached
Americanadjective
-
not attached; separated.
a detached ticket stub.
- Antonyms:
- attached
-
having no wall in common with another building (opposed to attached).
a detached house.
- Antonyms:
- attached
-
impartial or objective; disinterested; unbiased.
a detached judgment.
- Synonyms:
- unprejudiced, dispassionate, evenhanded, neutral, uninvolved
-
not involved or concerned; aloof.
adjective
-
disconnected or standing apart; not attached
a detached house
-
having or showing no bias or emotional involvement; disinterested
-
social welfare working at the clients' normal location rather than from an office; not dependent on premises for providing a service Compare outreach
a detached youth worker
-
ophthalmol (of the retina) separated from the choroid layer of the eyeball to which it is normally attached, resulting in loss of vision in the affected part
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of detached
Explanation
If something is detached, it stands apart from something else. That goes for people, emotions, retinas, garages, and just about anything else that can be disconnected or uninvolved. In the simplest sense, detached means "not attached." Which is a fine state to be in if you're talking about houses (it means they're not connected, like row houses) or your neighbor's aggressive dog (who was chomping down on your leg a few minutes ago). But if a person is emotionally detached, be careful: They're not in touch with their own emotions, or very interested in understanding yours.
Vocabulary lists containing detached
"To Kill a Mockingbird" by Harper Lee, Chapters 16–19
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A Monster Calls
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"A Noiseless Patient Spider" by Walt Whitman
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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 trailers are driven onto a machine known as a tipper and detached from their trucks.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 19, 2026
They didn’t locate any weapons, but they did find a pair of detached pistol magazines.
From Slate ● Sep. 17, 2026
In Portland she was paying rent of $1,290 a month for an apartment, while the combined cost of her mortgage, home insurance and property tax for her detached home in Muncie is $1,100.
From BBC ● Sep. 14, 2026
Other Nebraskans said they felt a bit detached from the entire war issue.
From Barron's ● Sep. 10, 2026
Mr. Munch reached into the locker and pulled out the head of a broom—the sweeping part—which he'd detached from the broomstick.
From "Look Both Ways" by Jason Reynolds
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.
