as in distracting
to draw the attention or mind to something else
numerous typos in the text detract the reader's attention from the novel's intricate plot
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Recent Examples of detracting
Some asserted that the commitment and costs of traveling and attending meetings paired with the limited compensation was detracting members of the public from running for office.
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Luis Melecio-Zambrano, Mercury News, 19 Sep. 2025
Luis Melecio-Zambrano, Mercury News, 19 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for detracting
Verb
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Josh asks for silence, then later explains — in an exasperated tone — that the ruckus was distracting him.—
Rafaela Bassili,
Vulture,
20 Jan. 2026
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Griffin has a bright future, but dreams of college or the WNBA are not distracting her from the here and now.—
Steve Galluzzo,
Los Angeles Times,
18 Jan. 2026
Verb
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The California Highway Patrol issued a Sig Alert and was diverting traffic off on Roxford Street.—
Chelsea Hylton,
CBS News,
11 Jan. 2026
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What keeps things diverting, and sometimes even interesting, is the genuine but necessarily tentative chemistry between its stars, one staging an all-out charm offensive and the other projecting a flintier allure.—
Guy Lodge,
Variety,
8 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Detracting.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/detracting. Accessed 23 Jan. 2026.
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