Definify.com
Webster 1913 Edition
Detract
De-tract′
,Verb.
T.
[
imp. & p. p.
Detracted
; p. pr. & vb. n.
Detracting
.] 1.
To take away; to withdraw.
Detract
much from the view of the without. Sir H. Wotton.
2.
To take credit or reputation from; to defame.
Syn. – To derogate; decry; disparage; depreciate; asperse; vilify; defame; traduce. See
Decry
. De-tract′
,Verb.
I.
To take away a part or something, especially from one’s credit; to lessen reputation; to derogate; to defame; – often with from.
It has been the fashion to
detract
both from the moral and literary character of Cicero. V. Knox.
Webster 1828 Edition
Detract
DETRACT
,Verb.
T.
1.
Literally, to draw from. Hence, to take away from reputation or merit, through envy, malice or other motive; hence, to detract from, is to lessen or depreciate reputation or worth; to derogate from.Never circulate reports that detract from the reputation or honor of your neighbor, without obvious necessity to justify the act.
2.
To take away; to withdraw, in a literal sense.Definition 2024
detract
detract
English
Verb
detract (third-person singular simple present detracts, present participle detracting, simple past and past participle detracted)
- (intransitive) To take away; to withdraw or remove.
- 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:
- 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.
-
- (transitive) To take credit or reputation from; to defame or decry.
- Drayton
- That calumnious critic […] / Detracting what laboriously we do.
- Drayton
Synonyms
Derived terms
Translations
to take away; to withdraw or remove