detachment

noun

di-ˈtach-mənt How to pronounce detachment (audio)
Definition of detachmentnext
1
as in objectivity
lack of favoritism toward one side or another the judge showed commendable detachment when deciding the controversial case

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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
as in coldness
the absence of emotional involvement his detachment allowed him a clearer perspective on the child custody case

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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 Whether through psychological detachment, restorative activities like sauna, or adequate sleep, recovery protects the capacities leaders need to operate effectively. — Julian Hayes Ii, Forbes.com, 28 Aug. 2026 Apple’s gyrations are the latest demonstration of the stock’s increasing detachment from the broader market. — Bloomberg, Mercury News, 18 Aug. 2026 In the book’s arc, this lands as a chilling dismissal, and a reminder of the magnitude of Bret’s increasingly psychotic concern over Robert Mallory and the Trawler, and his detachment from his own life. — Leo Lasdun, New Yorker, 5 Aug. 2026 The South Carolina State Guard caisson detachment will carry Graham’s remains. — Chantelle Lee, Time, 22 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for detachment
Recent Examples of Synonyms for detachment
  1. objectivity
  2. patrol
  3. coldness
  4. neutrality
  5. battalion
  6. dispassion
  7. neutralism
  8. squadron
Noun
  • But the murkiness doesn’t last long in a production that achieves an admirable balance between objectivity and emotion, abstraction and representation.
    — Theater Critic, Los Angeles Times, 18 Sep. 2026
  • Fielder and Oppenheim have created a fascinating portrait of a relationship, decimating notions of objectivity in documentary while also interrogating the limits of fiction.
    — Jill Goldsmith, Deadline, 10 Sep. 2026
Definition of objectivity
Noun
  • This summer, four officers from the traffic unit were moved into vacant positions in regular patrol and investigative units, and their former positions in traffic were eliminated.
    — Sacbee.com, Sacbee.com, 29 Sep. 2026
  • Other participants included the Royal Navy frigate HMS Portland, US Navy and Royal Air Force P-8 maritime patrol aircraft, and US Air Force F-15E Strike Eagles.
    — Atharva Gosavi, Interesting Engineering, 29 Sep. 2026
Definition of patrol
Noun
  • The danger occurs if that ruthlessness veers into institutional coldness.
    — James McNicholas, New York Times, 19 Aug. 2026
  • The music recalled the angst and coldness of Carpenter’s movie scores but with more robust arrangements, buttressed by Davies’ guitar.
    — Kory Grow, Rolling Stone, 9 Aug. 2026
Definition of coldness
Noun
  • Claremont President Ryan Williams framed the dispute as a failure of professional neutrality, accusing the American Bar Association of becoming a partisan institution.
    — Kaelan Deese, The Washington Examiner, 29 Sep. 2026
  • Swiss neutrality has been enshrined in the constitution since the mid-19th century, but its meaning has been debated for years.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 28 Sep. 2026
Definition of neutrality
Noun
  • By storing blood in two battalion chief vehicles, paramedics are able to begin transfusions at the scene of a severe bleeding emergency instead of having to wait until the victim arrives at a hospital.
    — Clara Harter, Los Angeles Times, 28 Sep. 2026
  • The blasts occurred after the battalion commander leading the 18-member team decided to end the mission and withdraw because the unit was too close to the demarcation line, the Joint Chiefs said.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 28 Sep. 2026
Definition of battalion
Noun
  • The original medical examiner is dead, so the replacement, Lisa Gavin, examined slides of Shakur’s bloated cadaver with the dispassion of a science teacher dissecting a frog.
    — Jeff Weiss, HollywoodReporter, 1 Sep. 2026
  • Eliot loved hearing Claire talk about people, her combination of warmth and dispassion.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 25 Nov. 2025
Definition of dispassion
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
Definition of neutralism
Noun
  • Circlevillians turned on their city like a squadron of deranged geometers.
    — Daniel Immerwahr, New Yorker, 28 Sep. 2026
  • The unit will work alongside existing RAF space operations and warning squadrons.
    — Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 25 Sep. 2026
Definition of squadron

Browse Nearby Words

detaching
detachment
detachments
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Detachment.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/detachment. Accessed 3 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of tittle

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

More Commonly Mispronounced Words

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

7 Great Ways to Say 'Great'

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

The Words of the Week - Oct. 2

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

7 Great Ways to Say 'Great'

The Longest Long Words List
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
name tags
Words Named After People Quiz Find out who’s behind "leotard," "morphine," an...
See All