detachment

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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

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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 And frequent appearances by a pigeon that perches on her windowsill like a Greek chorus, mocking her self-abasement and growing detachment from reality, seem a tad heavy-handed. Book Marks august 28, Literary Hub, 28 Aug. 2025 His style is Olympian on the surface, the ironic detachment of his pictures casting a cold, curious eye at humanity’s follies and derangements. Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 28 Aug. 2025 Earlier this summer, executives from OpenAI, Meta, and Palantir joined a new Army detachment, the Executive Innovation Corps, to serve as part-time advisers. Matteo Wong, The Atlantic, 25 Aug. 2025 Some incline toward Olympian detachment, others missionary zeal. Richard Renaldi, New Yorker, 25 Aug. 2025 See All Example Sentences for detachment
Recent Examples of Synonyms for detachment
Noun
  • For each of these men—and the broader medical and public-health community that supported the eugenics movement—the veneer of data objectivity helped transform prejudice into policy.
    Craig Spencer, The Atlantic, 29 Aug. 2025
  • Instead one was woken into an eternal godlike vigilance, as though the experience of objectification had in the end borne the fruit of objectivity.
    Rachel Cusk, New Yorker, 24 Aug. 2025
Noun
  • Federal prosecutors have charged Omari Juan Beidleman with assaulting two members of the Mississippi National Guard during a patrol at the Capitol South Metro station.
    Kaelan Deese, The Washington Examiner, 4 Sep. 2025
  • Officers from the patrol’s East Sacramento office told the tale of the Wednesday morning incident posted to Facebook.
    Darrell Smith, Sacbee.com, 4 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • At the time of writing, there has been no message of gratitude towards Newcastle or the fans from Isak, potentially in response to the coldness of the club’s announcement.
    Harry De Cosemo, Forbes.com, 2 Sep. 2025
  • The catch, though, is that this hard exterior is often misinterpreted as coldness or disinterest (which is why clear communication is so important).
    Jenna Ryu, SELF, 26 Aug. 2025
Noun
  • With Germany aiming for their climate neutrality goal, utilizing untapped building surfaces for energy production is essential.
    Atharva Gosavi, Interesting Engineering, 2 Sep. 2025
  • Katajanokan Laituri, designed by Anttinen Oiva Architects, rises as a new four-storey wooden landmark in Helsinki’s historic Market Square, embodying Finland’s commitment to sustainable urban development and carbon neutrality.
    Y-Jean Mun-Delsalle, Forbes.com, 1 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • The management staff includes one fire chief, one deputy chief, one administrative battalion chief and three deputy battalion chiefs.
    Karen Kucher, San Diego Union-Tribune, 30 Aug. 2025
  • The career infantry officer has commanded at every level from platoon to battalion.
    Erika I. Ritchie, Oc Register, 22 Aug. 2025
Noun
  • 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
  • Nell shows a remarkable understanding of the song, a sense of dispassion that is both beautiful and chilling.
    Alexandra Del Rosario, Los Angeles Times, 8 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
  • Any nation confronting Beijing will not face a handful of boutique drones or a symbolic squadron of stealth fighters.
    Amir Husain, Forbes.com, 3 Sep. 2025
  • John was a navigator on a B-17, flying 6 missions before being killed on April 18, 1944, when German fighters attacked his squadron.
    Hank Beckman, Chicago Tribune, 26 Aug. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Detachment.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/detachment. Accessed 9 Sep. 2025.

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