detachment

Definition of detachmentnext
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2
as in patrol
a small military unit with a special task or function the general sent a detachment ahead to scout the enemy's position

Synonyms & Similar Words

3

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of detachment Her face, usually settled into a general look of detachment, would take on deeply significant expressions, all revolving around a plea for forgiveness. Andrea Bajani, New Yorker, 7 June 2026 This detachment is becoming detectable among young voters. David M. Drucker, Twin Cities, 3 June 2026 Stepping away from our usual routines in a different setting, far from our commitments and deadlines, can give us a sense of calm, detachment, and tranquility. Alessandra Signorelli, Vogue, 29 May 2026 The film’s unspeakably haunting final shot typifies Cannes 2026 to a tee, its free-floating detachment from reality doubling as a revelatory expression of our own relationship to it. David Ehrlich, IndieWire, 22 May 2026 See All Example Sentences for detachment
Recent Examples of Synonyms for detachment
Noun
  • Slot, as head coach, was more of a middle manager; someone who acted with the objectivity of a civil servant and the occasional bluntness of a corrections officer.
    Simon Hughes, New York Times, 30 May 2026
  • This is a common mistake born from our natural lack of objectivity about ourselves, and those at the C-suite and board levels are not immune.
    Mary Elizabeth Bradford, Forbes.com, 29 May 2026
Noun
  • Four people were killed in the crash, the patrol said, including three people on the train and one person in the dump truck.
    The Kansas City Star, Kansas City Star, 25 June 2026
  • The change would allow each of the country’s 36 states to create a police force that meets a minimum national requirement while the federal police retains control of counterterrorism, border patrol, organized crime and other national security issues.
    ABC News, ABC News, 24 June 2026
Noun
  • Her fierce intelligence helps paper over some of the screenplay’s rougher transitions, and even lends a measure of legibility to Sylvia’s sudden coldness.
    Natalia Winkelman, Variety, 16 June 2026
  • The bureaucratic coldness of Bolshevik Communism and the violent regressions of Fascism were yet worse.
    Alex Ross, New Yorker, 15 June 2026
Noun
  • Cracks in the system Yet, foreign governments are starting to challenge Singapore’s neutrality.
    Angelica Ang, Fortune, 19 June 2026
  • The money has been used to finance programs ranging from community air-quality work to affordable housing near transit, infrastructure upgrades and green transportation projects, helping move the county toward its goal of reaching carbon neutrality by 2045.
    Chaewon Chung, Sacbee.com, 18 June 2026
Noun
  • Across its 55,000-square-foot footprint, the $24 million building is composed of a learning center and classrooms, company orderly rooms, battalion planning space and secure equipment storage — and carries a plaque honoring the state’s 30th governor.
    Kevin Fixler June 26, Idaho Statesman, 26 June 2026
  • These religious sites and sacred areas throughout Ukraine have not been used by the Ukrainian Armed Forces or Ukrainian volunteer battalions as staging grounds to fight against Russian forces.
    Mark Temnycky, Forbes.com, 25 June 2026
Noun
  • Eliot loved hearing Claire talk about people, her combination of warmth and dispassion.
    Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 25 Nov. 2025
  • In the play’s most striking image, the dead sit in the Grover’s Corners graveyard in rows—rather like a theatre audience—watching the living with quiet dispassion.
    Helen Shaw, The New Yorker, 17 Oct. 2024
Noun
  • India, an avatar of forceful neutralism early on, saw its influence diminished by regional conflict and domestic troubles.
    Erez Manela, Foreign Affairs, 14 Dec. 2021
  • Globalizing impulses helped bring about a flourishing of neutralism.
    Leo Robson, The New Yorker, 5 Dec. 2016
Noun
  • The squadron has been responsible for testing several bombers, including the B-1B, B-2A and the B-52 Stratofortress.
    Summer Lin, Los Angeles Times, 17 June 2026
  • By 1989, Curry had become a squadron commander, responsible for law enforcement for the entire Hahn Air Base, which had about 10,000 people, in Germany.
    Clint Smith, The Atlantic, 9 June 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Detachment.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/detachment. Accessed 29 Jun. 2026.

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