as in critics
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 detractors
However, detractors emerged on social media.
—
Zack Sharf, Variety, 17 Feb. 2026
Maybe Whitney Halberstram is a construction, just like his detractors have been saying all along.
—Amanda Whiting, Vulture, 16 Feb. 2026
Women fighting for the right to vote were seen by their detractors as unfeminine, and vinegar valentines were a cheap and convenient medium to enforce gender roles.
—Melissa Chan, Fortune, 14 Feb. 2026
Miro Šatan, the former NHL star who has been the head of the Slovak Ice Hockey Federation since 2019, has his detractors.
—Mark Lazerus, New York Times, 14 Feb. 2026
The case is the first time the Justice Department has attempted to classify critical speech from prominent Trump detractors as a crime.
—Jeremy Roebuck, Washington Post, 13 Feb. 2026
To its detractors, the act has unfairly hobbled American companies while foreign rivals swoop in.
—Geir Moulson, Los Angeles Times, 10 Feb. 2026
The agencies have also faced criticism for a wave of policies that detractors say trample on the rights of both immigrants facing arrest and Americans protesting the enforcement actions.
—Rebecca Santana, Chicago Tribune, 10 Feb. 2026
Trump’s predilection for executive action over legislative dealmaking should concern supporters and bring some measure of comfort to his detractors.
—Abby McCloskey, Twin Cities, 5 Feb. 2026
Zack Sharf, Variety, 17 Feb. 2026
Maybe Whitney Halberstram is a construction, just like his detractors have been saying all along.
—Amanda Whiting, Vulture, 16 Feb. 2026
Women fighting for the right to vote were seen by their detractors as unfeminine, and vinegar valentines were a cheap and convenient medium to enforce gender roles.
—Melissa Chan, Fortune, 14 Feb. 2026
Miro Šatan, the former NHL star who has been the head of the Slovak Ice Hockey Federation since 2019, has his detractors.
—Mark Lazerus, New York Times, 14 Feb. 2026
The case is the first time the Justice Department has attempted to classify critical speech from prominent Trump detractors as a crime.
—Jeremy Roebuck, Washington Post, 13 Feb. 2026
To its detractors, the act has unfairly hobbled American companies while foreign rivals swoop in.
—Geir Moulson, Los Angeles Times, 10 Feb. 2026
The agencies have also faced criticism for a wave of policies that detractors say trample on the rights of both immigrants facing arrest and Americans protesting the enforcement actions.
—Rebecca Santana, Chicago Tribune, 10 Feb. 2026
Trump’s predilection for executive action over legislative dealmaking should concern supporters and bring some measure of comfort to his detractors.
—Abby McCloskey, Twin Cities, 5 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for detractors
critics
Noun
-
That case also crashed and burned in court and has been seen by critics as another example of an unnecessary prosecution that hurts the DOJ’s accountability image.—
Kaelan Deese,
The Washington Examiner,
15 Feb. 2026
-
What was once a forum for engaged — sometimes heated — debate has, critics argue, become a stage for viral confrontation.—
Scott Roxborough,
HollywoodReporter,
14 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Detractors.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/detractors. Accessed 19 Feb. 2026.
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