detractor
Americannoun
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of detractor
First recorded in 1350–1400; from Latin dētractor, equivalent to dētract(us) “drawn away” + -or -or 2 ( def. ); see detract ( def. )
Explanation
A detractor is someone who puts you down. When you're proposing ideas at work, your detractor is the person who finds fault with everything you say. Use the noun detractor for someone who is always critical. You might describe your brother as a detractor of the government if he complains incessantly about taxes, voting, the President, and all the members of Congress. If a person takes a dislike to you in particular, he is your own personal detractor. The origin of detractor goes back to the Latin word detrahere, "take down, pull down, or disparage."
Vocabulary lists containing detractor
Americanized
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Becoming
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Part 1 Vocabulary (Unit 2)
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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.
See Examples For:
Despite the enthusiasm around the project, which would have introduced Ryan Kiera Armstrong as the new slayer alongside Gellar’s Buffy, Gellar pointed to at least one very vocal detractor.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 17, 2026
Moderna was the largest detractor among the 2025 picks, falling about 30%.
From Barron's ● Dec. 12, 2025
Whether you are a supporter or a detractor of the BBC, I think everyone would agree these are incredibly testing times for the corporation.
From BBC ● Nov. 10, 2025
Promising “circumstantial evidence,” she suggested that Scientologists ginned up Breest’s lawsuit to discredit him after he split with the church and became a prominent detractor.
From Washington Times ● Oct. 19, 2022
Downstairs had the same problem, and with the added detractor of being dark, and me without a flashlight.
From "Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children" by Ransom Riggs
These detractors, he said, "have no idea how hopelessly serious the crisis has become" for Okinawa's coral.
From Barron's ● Jul. 29, 2026
If the hacks or detractors listened to the references it was all about achievement in what the team did to win.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 25, 2026
I won’t defend the stock but will point out that the company’s detractors are going too far.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 16, 2026
But immigration advocates and detractors of the administration celebrated the ruling.
From BBC ● Jun. 30, 2026
Whatever the reason for wanting to escape, sane or insane, zoo detractors should realize that animals don’t escape to somewhere but from something.
From "Life of Pi" by Yann Martel
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.
