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   de·tract

   /dəˈtrak(t)/

   verb

   • 1. diminish the worth or value of (a quality or achievement): "these quibbles in no way detract from her achievement" Similar belittletake away fromdiminishreducelessenminimizelowermake light ofplay downdiscountsoft-pedalbrush asidegloss overtrivializedecrydepreciatedenigratedevaluedevaluatedeprecateinformal:pooh-pooharchaic:hold cheaprare:derogatemisprizeminifyOpposite enhance
   • ▪ take away (a specified amount) from the worth or value of a quality or achievement: "it detracts not one iota from the credit due to them"
   • 2. cause someone or something to be distracted or diverted from: "the complaint was timed to detract attention from the ethics issue"

   Word Origin late Middle English: from Latin detract- ‘drawn away’, from the verb detrahere, from de- ‘away from’ + trahere ‘draw’.

   Derivatives

   • 1. detraction noun
   • 2. detractive adjective

   Scrabble Points: 10

   • D

     2

   • E

     1

   • T

     1

   • R

     1

   • A

     1

   • C

     3

   • T

     1

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