What does "detail" mean?
A part small enough to escape casual notice.
Detail
/ˈdi.teɪl/ noun, verb
noun, verb ·Very common ·Middle school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: A part small enough to escape casual notice.
- Grammar: detail is listed as noun, verb.
- Nearest alternatives: accredit, accuracy, add up, adduce.
- Useful contrasts: abstract performance metric, abstract relation, biological concept.
- Usage evidence: Professors should explain everything in detail, not be succinct and always tell students to go home and read their books.
How to use "detail"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "detail" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "detail" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "detail" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "detail" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "detail" is acting as noun, verb in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "accredit" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "detail", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 A part small enough to escape casual notice. countable
"Note this fine detail in the lower left corner."
- 2 an isolated fact that is considered separately from the whole wordnet
- 3 A profusion of details. uncountable
"This etching is full of fine detail."
- 4 extended treatment of particulars wordnet
- 5 The small parts that can escape casual notice. uncountable
"Attention to detail was said to be one of the secrets of Gerrard's success as a player."
Show 9 more definitions
- 6 a crew of workers selected for a particular task wordnet
- 7 A part considered trivial enough to ignore. countable, uncountable
"I don't concern myself with the details of accounting."
- 8 a temporary military unit wordnet
- 9 A person's name, address and other personal information. countable
"The arresting officer asked the suspect for his details."
- 10 a small part that can be considered separately from the whole wordnet
- 11 A temporary unit or assignment. countable, uncountable
"Frequently members of the small police detail dispatched to the scene joined in."
- 12 An individual feature, fact, or other item, considered separately from the whole of which it is a part. countable, uncountable
"WikiLeaks did not cause these uprisings but it certainly informed them. The dispatches revealed details of corruption and kleptocracy that many Tunisians suspected, but could not prove, and would cite as they took to the streets. They also exposed the blatant discrepancy between the west's professed values and actual foreign policies."
- 13 A narrative which relates minute points; an account which dwells on particulars. countable, uncountable
""I could never persuade myself to confide in him that event which was so often present to my recollection, but which I feared the detail to another would only impress more deeply.""
- 14 A selected portion of a painting. countable, uncountable
"On the cover of Julia Kristeva's Black Sun: Depression and Melancholia is a detail from a painting by Hans Holbein the Younger, “Portrait of the Artist's Wife, Elizabeth Binzenstock, and Her Two Children, Philip and Catherine.”"
Verb
- 1 To explain in detail. transitive
"I'll detail the exact procedure to you later."
- 2 assign to a specific task wordnet
- 3 To clean carefully (particularly of road vehicles, always pronounced. /ˈdiːteɪl/) transitive
"We need to have the minivan detailed."
- 4 provide details for wordnet
- 5 To assign to a particular task. transitive
"Two years after England’s World Cup victory, Stiles was at Wembley again to help Manchester United become the first English team to win the European Cup final. Again Eusébio was one of his opponents, playing for Benfica, and again Stiles was detailed to keep him quiet. […]"
Synonyms
All synonymsAntonyms
abstract performance metricabstract relationbiological conceptbroad term label
Example
"Professors should explain everything in detail, not be succinct and always tell students to go home and read their books."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "detail"?
Common synonyms include: accredit, accuracy, add up, adduce, adjunct, age group.
How do you use "detail" in a sentence?
Professors should explain everything in detail, not be succinct and always tell students to go home and read their books.
How do you pronounce "detail"?
Pronounced /ˈdi.teɪl/.
Etymology
Borrowed from Middle French détail, from Old French detail, from detaillier, from de- + taillier (“to cut”).