as in critic
a person who criticizes something or someone
Despite his popularity, his many detractors still think his work is overrated. Even her detractors had to admit that she had made the company successful.
Related Words
Relevance
Dissimilar Words
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 detractor
On Tuesday, Sweeney hit back at her detractors with a brief but pointed message on Instagram along with a carousel of behind-the-scenes images that included some of Cassie's most provocative season three looks.
—
Ashley Hume, FOXNews.com, 1 June 2026
Like so much of sports, the pass requirement put out by KC2026, the games’ host city organization, has both fans and detractors.
—Eric Adler, Kansas City Star, 29 May 2026
Feedback from detractors is heard without defensiveness and implemented into our processes for incremental improvement.
—Expert Panel®, Forbes.com, 28 May 2026
While data centers aren’t harming society or the environment as detractors claim, banning them would certainly wreak havoc.
—Ross Marchand, Baltimore Sun, 27 May 2026
But Mosley’s detractors often complained about his team’s lack of offensive innovation or its ability to find solutions when things got stagnant.
—William Guillory, New York Times, 27 May 2026
The first was King George III himself, a monarch often caricatured but in fact more attentive to the British constitutional tradition than his American detractors allowed.
—Danielle Allen, The Atlantic, 21 May 2026
Riley is unusually active online, often mixing it up with fans and detractors alike on social media.
—Los Angeles Times, 20 May 2026
Ever since the album’s release, Drake’s biggest supporters and his biggest detractors have been carefully watching the streaming statistics, looking to see whether his career has been damaged by the Lamar feud.
—Kelefa Sanneh, New Yorker, 19 May 2026
Ashley Hume, FOXNews.com, 1 June 2026
Like so much of sports, the pass requirement put out by KC2026, the games’ host city organization, has both fans and detractors.
—Eric Adler, Kansas City Star, 29 May 2026
Feedback from detractors is heard without defensiveness and implemented into our processes for incremental improvement.
—Expert Panel®, Forbes.com, 28 May 2026
While data centers aren’t harming society or the environment as detractors claim, banning them would certainly wreak havoc.
—Ross Marchand, Baltimore Sun, 27 May 2026
But Mosley’s detractors often complained about his team’s lack of offensive innovation or its ability to find solutions when things got stagnant.
—William Guillory, New York Times, 27 May 2026
The first was King George III himself, a monarch often caricatured but in fact more attentive to the British constitutional tradition than his American detractors allowed.
—Danielle Allen, The Atlantic, 21 May 2026
Riley is unusually active online, often mixing it up with fans and detractors alike on social media.
—Los Angeles Times, 20 May 2026
Ever since the album’s release, Drake’s biggest supporters and his biggest detractors have been carefully watching the streaming statistics, looking to see whether his career has been damaged by the Lamar feud.
—Kelefa Sanneh, New Yorker, 19 May 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for detractor
Noun
-
Even a shallow dive into the metrics makes Makar critics look all wet.—
Sean Keeler,
Denver Post,
31 May 2026
-
As the country heads toward a national election, the leader once celebrated as a healer is now viewed by critics as the main driver of these schisms.—
Nimi Princewill,
CNN Money,
31 May 2026
Noun
-
In turn, the criticizer is made out to be overreacting.—
Mark Travers,
Forbes.com,
7 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Detractor.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/detractor. Accessed 4 Jun. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
