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.
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Recent Examples of detractor
Fans, of course, have repeatedly called for coach Mike McDaniel’s job in the past month yet a valiant victory over the Buffalo Bills appears to have staved off some detractors.
—
Miami Herald, 10 Nov. 2025
Hudson appears to have the upper hand now against the detractors as North Carolina’s season has not spiraled out of control.
—Ryan Gaydos, FOXNews.com, 9 Nov. 2025
Tagliabue certainly had his detractors, notably over concussions.
—NPR, 9 Nov. 2025
One Battle After Another holds the top ranking of any 2025 release on review aggregator Metacritic, the more discerning version of Rotten Tomatoes, and its detractors are few.
—Mikey O'Connell, HollywoodReporter, 5 Nov. 2025
Fixed with a seemingly permanent half-smile — detractors called it a smirk — Cheney joked about his outsize reputation as a stealthy manipulator.
—Calvin Woodward, Fortune, 4 Nov. 2025
Carbon capture and sequestration technology is expensive, unproven and possibly dangerous, say detractors like Kerwin Olson, the executive director of the Citizens Action Coalition, a consumer advocacy group.
—Sophie Hartley, IndyStar, 30 Oct. 2025
Despite its vast potential, fusion has its share of detractors.
—Rob Nikolewski, San Diego Union-Tribune, 29 Oct. 2025
The athlete has embraced the term given to her by her detractors, and trademarked it and created merchandise, including naming one of her sneaker colorways after it.
—Karla Rodriguez, Footwear News, 28 Oct. 2025
Miami Herald, 10 Nov. 2025
Hudson appears to have the upper hand now against the detractors as North Carolina’s season has not spiraled out of control.
—Ryan Gaydos, FOXNews.com, 9 Nov. 2025
Tagliabue certainly had his detractors, notably over concussions.
—NPR, 9 Nov. 2025
One Battle After Another holds the top ranking of any 2025 release on review aggregator Metacritic, the more discerning version of Rotten Tomatoes, and its detractors are few.
—Mikey O'Connell, HollywoodReporter, 5 Nov. 2025
Fixed with a seemingly permanent half-smile — detractors called it a smirk — Cheney joked about his outsize reputation as a stealthy manipulator.
—Calvin Woodward, Fortune, 4 Nov. 2025
Carbon capture and sequestration technology is expensive, unproven and possibly dangerous, say detractors like Kerwin Olson, the executive director of the Citizens Action Coalition, a consumer advocacy group.
—Sophie Hartley, IndyStar, 30 Oct. 2025
Despite its vast potential, fusion has its share of detractors.
—Rob Nikolewski, San Diego Union-Tribune, 29 Oct. 2025
The athlete has embraced the term given to her by her detractors, and trademarked it and created merchandise, including naming one of her sneaker colorways after it.
—Karla Rodriguez, Footwear News, 28 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for detractor
Noun
-
Then, Hayes was accused of being a sore loser by critics.—
Megan Feringa,
New York Times,
9 Nov. 2025
-
The Cannes-premiering film rates higher with critics than audiences so far but is the biggest ever box office for director Lynne Ramsey and an awards-season magnet for star Jennifer Lawrence’s career-defining performance.—
Jill Goldsmith,
Deadline,
9 Nov. 2025
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 13 Nov. 2025.
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