detract

Intermediatezipf 3.01

Pronunciation

/dɪˈtrækt/(dih-TRAKT)

Part of speech

verbformal

Chinese

减损；降低（价值或质量）

Definition

To reduce or take away the worth or value of something.

Word family

  • detraction/dɪˈtrækʃən/(n)贬低
  • detractor/dɪˈtræktər/(n)批评者

Collocations

  • detract from
  • detract attention
  • nothing detracts
  • seriously detract
  • detractors claim

Examples

  1. 1.The scratches on the screen don't detract from the phone's overall performance. (diminish value)
  2. 2.His detractors claimed that his success was due to luck, not talent. (critics)

Synonyms

  • diminish/dɪˈmɪnɪʃ/— to make or become less
  • undermine/ˌʌndərˈmaɪn/— to weaken gradually
  • impair/ɪmˈpɛər/— to damage or weaken

Etymology

from Latin "detrahere" (to pull away) — de- (away) + trahere (to pull, to draw)