Synonyms of detritus

detritus

noun

di-ˈtrī-təs 

as in debris

the portion or bits of something left over or behind after it has been destroyed

the expanse of tree stumps represented the detritus of a vast forest that had been mercilessly clear-cut

Synonyms & Similar Words

• debris
• rubble
• wreckage
• ruins
• remains
• ashes
• remnant
• residue
• wreck
• flotsam
• leavings
• dust
• garbage
• junk
• jetsam
• litter
• trash
• chaff
• dross
• rubbish
• waste
• refuse
• deadwood
• scrap
• riffraff

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of detritus

The Avalanches are turning their fascination with the detritus of modern life into something unusually expansive. — Spin Staff, SPIN, 2 Sep. 2026

The past is not so much foreign as free, free to anyone who is willing to do the work, to enter the past with a spirit of curiosity and a willingness to conjure a living world out of the detritus that history leaves behind. — Literary Hub, 27 Aug. 2026

Still, even with Ellison’s $111 billion WBD takeover plan under threat from a state attorneys general antitrust suit, $4 million and change is sofa detritus to the son of Larry Ellison. — Dominic Patten, Deadline, 21 Aug. 2026

This is where the Sora 70's surface-cleaning functionality came in handy, filling the filter basket with every floating bit of detritus and leaving the pool looking as if there had been no storm at all. — John Mihaly, PC Magazine, 17 Aug. 2026

Podcast

Get Word of the Day delivered to your inbox!