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.
Mark Pierce, senior review officer, said: "Forensic results, combined with a detailed review of witness evidence, have provided grounds to interview four people on suspicion of perverting the course of justice."
From BBC ● Sep. 2, 2026
“Ms. Darby has brought serious and substantial claims, supported by a detailed factual record,” Darby’s lawyer Thomas K. Richards of the Beverly Hills firm Singh, Singh & Trauben, said in a statement.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 2, 2026
The whistleblower account detailed a series of problems with development and testing of the new computer system, which the person said can take nine months to a year to debug.
From Salon ● Sep. 2, 2026
Morgan said in a separate note that detailed data would be required to fully assess the drug’s efficacy profile relative to Roche’s rival oral multiple sclerosis drug candidate fenebrutinib and another class of treatments.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 1, 2026
Some had very intricate and detailed geometrical shapes.
From "Healer of the Water Monster" by Brian Young
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.
