Detract Meaning
/dɪˈtɹækt/Definition, CEFR level B2, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
Listen pronunciation
Definition
verbTo take away; to withdraw or remove.
verbTo take credit or reputation from; to derogate; to defame or decry.
Sentence Examples
Further elaboration or ornament would only detract from the perfection of its simplicity.
I'm sorry; I didn't mean to detract from what you were saying.
I hope that her success doesn't detract from theirs.
CEFR Practice Quiz
Loud construction noise outside the theater could ____ from the audience's enjoyment of the play.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
Further elaboration or ornament would only ____ from the perfection of its simplicity.
Word Origin & History
Borrowed from Middle French détracter, from Latin detractum, past participle of detraho.
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"The improvement here patented consists in so arranging the parts of an ever pointed pencil case, that the point which holds the pencil shall be obtruded and detracted without having a slot in the side, which a ferrule and pin to draw it down, as is ordinarily done."
— 1846, editorial staff, “CHEMISTRY”, in Scientific American, series 1, Volume 2, Issue 13, page 102:
"The Conan O’Brien-penned half-hour has the capacity to rip our collective hearts out the way the cute, funny bad girl next door does to Bart when she reveals that her new boyfriend is Jimbo Jones, but the show keeps shying away from genuine emotion in favor of jokes that, while overwhelmingly funny, detract from the poignancy and the emotional intimacy of the episode."
— 2012 May 27, Nathan Rabin, “TV: Review: THE SIMPSONS (CLASSIC): “New Kid On The Block” (season 4, episode 8; originally aired 11/12/1992)”, in The Onion AV Club:
"That calumnious critic […] / Detracting what laboriously we do."
— 1604, Michael Drayton, Moses in a Map of his Miracles:
Explore More B2 Vocabulary Words
CEFR Practice Quiz
Loud construction noise outside the theater could ____ from the audience's enjoyment of the play.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
Further elaboration or ornament would only ____ from the perfection of its simplicity.