détente

or de·tente

[ dey-tahnt; French dey-tahnt ]

noun

, plural dé·tentes [dey-, tahnts, dey-, tahnt].

1. a relaxing of tension, especially between nations, as by negotiations or agreements.

détente

/ deɪˈtɑːnt; detɑ̃t /

noun

1. the relaxing or easing of tension, esp between nations

détente

1. A period of lessening tension between two major national powers, or a policy designed to lessen that tension. Détente presupposes that the two powers will continue to disagree but seeks to reduce the occasions of conflict.

Word History and Origins

Origin of détente¹

First recorded in 1905–10; from French; detent

Word History and Origins

Origin of détente¹

French, literally: a loosening, from Old French destendre to release, from tendre to stretch

Example Sentences

His astute detente diplomacy with the Soviet Union, trying to make the world a safer place, gets high marks.

From The Daily Beast

By 1963, he had survived the Cuban Missile Crisis and was steering the superpowers towards detente.

From The Daily Beast

The goal of the book is to "achieve detente" with your body.

From The Daily Beast

If Obama's strategy is to dial back the blue/red civil war to a detente, Franken's is to escalate it to World War III.

From The Daily Beast

The Ambassador quite appreciated that the purpose of the mission was to create a detente, as distinguished from an entente.

From Project Gutenberg

I'm glad she's not in Italy; it makes for relaxation—for a sort of moral detente.

From Project Gutenberg