detract

UK/dɪˈtɹækt/

verbC2Rare in speech; mostly a word you read · #13,444 of 15,258leans written

Other forms: detracted, detracts, detracting

To detract is to take away from the worth or effect of something. Detract from the achievement, nothing detracts from it, does not detract.

It nearly always takes from and appears most often in the negative, where saying something does not detract concedes a flaw and dismisses it. The Latin means to draw away.

Definitions of detract

1verbdetractTo take away from the worth or effect of something.C2
“The noisy air conditioning detracted from our enjoyment of the film.”

detract is a lessening.

Where it comes from

Latin detrahere means to draw away, from de plus trahere, to pull.

Latin
detractum
Middle French
détracter
English, today
detract

Borrowed from Middle French détracter, from Latin detractum, past participle of detraho.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA

Practise this word

detract in the wild

When made of wax the rind may be edible, but can detract from the flavour of the cheese.
Port Salut
During his cross-Canada run, he rejected every endorsement he was offered, as he felt that it would detract from his goal of creating public awareness.
Terry Fox Run
The presence of the swivel has been said to detract from the effectiveness of some types of lures.
Fishing swivel
More severe cases, however, may respond slowly to treatment and seriously detract from the health and appearance of the cat.
Feline acne
Investment in companies that are damaging to the environment, and investment into the infrastructure that supports those companies detract from environmentally sustainable investment.
Eco-investing

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From Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0. These sentences were written by other people about their own subjects; they are here to show the word at work, not as anybody’s opinion.

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