Detraction
//dɪˈtɹækʃən// noun
noun ·Uncommon ·Advanced level
Definitions
Noun
- 1 The act of detracting something, or something detracted; taking away; diminution. countable, uncountable
- 2 the act of discrediting or detracting from someone's reputation (especially by slander) wordnet
- 3 A derogatory or malicious statement; a disparagement, misrepresentation or slander. countable, uncountable
"If indeed we consider all the frivolous and petulant discourse, the impertinent chattings, the rash censures, the spiteful detractions which are so rife in the world[…]"
- 4 a petty disparagement wordnet
- 5 The act of revealing previously unknown faults of another person to a third person. countable, uncountable
Example
More examples"If indeed we consider all the frivolous and petulant discourse, the impertinent chattings, the rash censures, the spiteful detractions which are so rife in the world[…]"
Etymology
From Middle English detraction, detraccion, detraccioun, from Old French detraccion, from Latin dētractiō.
More for "detraction"
Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.