DETRACT

Etymology

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.

(transitive) To take credit or reputation from; to defame or decry.

Synonyms

• (to take credit or reputation from; to defame or decry): defame, decry

• See also defame

Anagrams

• tracted

Source: Wiktionary


De*tract", v. t. [imp. & p. p. Detracted; p. pr. & vb. n. Detracting.] Etym: [L. detractus, p. p. of detrahere to detract; de + trahere to draw: cf. F. détracter. See Trace.]

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. That calumnious critic . . . Detracting what laboriously we do. Drayton.

Syn.

– To derogate; decry; disparage; depreciate; asperse; vilify; defame; traduce. See Decry.

De*tract", v. i.

Definition: 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.

Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition



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Word of the Day

4 June 2025

LEND

(verb) bestow a quality on; “Her presence lends a certain cachet to the company”; “The music added a lot to the play”; “She brings a special atmosphere to our meetings”; “This adds a light note to the program”


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