detraction

[ dih-trak-shuhn ]

/ dɪˈtræk ʃən /

Save This Word!

See synonyms for detraction on Thesaurus.com

noun

the act of disparaging or belittling the reputation or worth of a person, work, etc.

QUIZ

CAN YOU ANSWER THESE COMMON GRAMMAR DEBATES?

There are grammar debates that never die; and the ones highlighted in the questions in this quiz are sure to rile everyone up once again. Do you know how to answer the questions that cause some of the greatest grammar debates?

Question 1 of 7

Which sentence is correct?

His boss, whom he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

His boss, who he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of detraction

1300–50; Middle English (<Anglo-French ) <Late Latin dētractiōn- (stem of dētractiō), equivalent to Latin dētract(us) (see detract) + -iōn--ion

Words nearby detraction

detoxification, detoxification centre, detoxify, DETR, detract, detraction, detractive, detractor, detrain, detribalize, detriment

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use detraction in a sentence

There is one heavy detraction, however, from the excellence of the Avignonese climate.
Travels through the South of France and the Interior of Provinces of Provence and Languedoc in the Years 1807 and 1808|Lt-Col. Pinkney
Bunglers will not mend matters by blackening the great canvases they can't paint on, nor the impotent become males by detraction.
It Is Never Too Late to Mend|Charles Reade
It is very absurd to consider criticism that is not always favourable, detraction.
Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine, No. CCCXXVIII. February, 1843. Vol. LIII.|Various
There was not a word of detraction about any one—nothing to jar on one's impression of him as a refined, noble-hearted man.
George Eliot's Life, Vol. II (of 3)|George Eliot

A favorite method of detraction is illustrated by the familiar story (p. 266) of Columbus's egg.
The Life of Napoleon Bonaparte|William Milligan Sloane

British Dictionary definitions for detraction

detraction

/ (dɪˈtrækʃən) /

noun

a person, thing, circumstance, etc, that detracts

the act of discrediting or detracting from another's reputation, esp by slander; disparagement

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

detraction

Origin of detraction

Words nearby detraction

Words related to detraction

How to use detraction in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for detraction