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
Kettner argued against detractors who maintain that the worst of the conflict is yet to come, highlighting that financial conditions have already eased significantly in the past three weeks, while gas prices are already much lower.
—
Lisa Kailai Han, CNBC, 20 Apr. 2026
While the plan isn’t without its detractors, the NYEDC created the Midtown Made brand to protect local designers, manufacturers and creative entrepreneurs as the rezoning takes shape.
—Jasmin Malik Chua, Footwear News, 20 Apr. 2026
Since being tossed from the White House Religious Liberties Commission for making anti-Israel comments at a public meeting earlier this year, Catholic influencer Carrie Prejan Boller has become an increasingly vocal Trump detractor.
—W. James Antle Iii, The Washington Examiner, 19 Apr. 2026
But even some of TMZ’s usual detractors have applauded its pivot to name-and-shame political coverage.
—Paula Mejía, New Yorker, 15 Apr. 2026
Fielding data center computing power Deere’s business strategy does have its detractors.
—Tyler Jett, USA Today, 15 Apr. 2026
The detractors also seem to forget that not only a stadium will be coming if the Royals decide that’s their preferred location and the city can come through with its part of the funding.
—Pete Grathoff, Kansas City Star, 13 Apr. 2026
From liberal to nationalist Beloved by many older and more rural Hungarians and reviled by detractors, Orbán has emerged as the country’s most consequential leader since its transition to democracy at the end of the Cold War.
—Justin Spike, Los Angeles Times, 10 Apr. 2026
This provision of the treaty had its detractors among Americans, though—specifically, those who were unhappy with the United States absorbing a considerable number of Roman Catholics, many of whom were not of exclusively European descent.
—Encyclopedia Britannica, 10 Apr. 2026
Lisa Kailai Han, CNBC, 20 Apr. 2026
While the plan isn’t without its detractors, the NYEDC created the Midtown Made brand to protect local designers, manufacturers and creative entrepreneurs as the rezoning takes shape.
—Jasmin Malik Chua, Footwear News, 20 Apr. 2026
Since being tossed from the White House Religious Liberties Commission for making anti-Israel comments at a public meeting earlier this year, Catholic influencer Carrie Prejan Boller has become an increasingly vocal Trump detractor.
—W. James Antle Iii, The Washington Examiner, 19 Apr. 2026
But even some of TMZ’s usual detractors have applauded its pivot to name-and-shame political coverage.
—Paula Mejía, New Yorker, 15 Apr. 2026
Fielding data center computing power Deere’s business strategy does have its detractors.
—Tyler Jett, USA Today, 15 Apr. 2026
The detractors also seem to forget that not only a stadium will be coming if the Royals decide that’s their preferred location and the city can come through with its part of the funding.
—Pete Grathoff, Kansas City Star, 13 Apr. 2026
From liberal to nationalist Beloved by many older and more rural Hungarians and reviled by detractors, Orbán has emerged as the country’s most consequential leader since its transition to democracy at the end of the Cold War.
—Justin Spike, Los Angeles Times, 10 Apr. 2026
This provision of the treaty had its detractors among Americans, though—specifically, those who were unhappy with the United States absorbing a considerable number of Roman Catholics, many of whom were not of exclusively European descent.
—Encyclopedia Britannica, 10 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for detractor
Noun
-
According to the critic John Ruskin, the disaster was called Raphael.—
Zachary Fine,
New Yorker,
20 Apr. 2026
-
But conservative critics argue any new legal status would amount to amnesty — pushback that reached a fever pitch online and in conservative media this month.—
Emily Brooks,
The Hill,
19 Apr. 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 22 Apr. 2026.
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