detachment

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as in patrol
a small military unit with a special task or function the general sent a detachment ahead to scout the enemy's position

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of detachment In both films, Jarmusch strips away the ironic detachment and deadpan drollery that were part of his signature in the earlier movies that earned him a prominent spot on the American indie map. David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 31 Aug. 2025 And frequent appearances by a pigeon that perches on her windowsill like a Greek chorus, mocking her self-abasement and growing detachment from reality, seem a tad heavy-handed. Book Marks august 28, Literary Hub, 28 Aug. 2025 His style is Olympian on the surface, the ironic detachment of his pictures casting a cold, curious eye at humanity’s follies and derangements. Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 28 Aug. 2025 Some incline toward Olympian detachment, others missionary zeal. Richard Renaldi, New Yorker, 25 Aug. 2025 See All Example Sentences for detachment
Recent Examples of Synonyms for detachment
Noun
  • But our schools and workplaces punish difference in the name of fairness and objectivity.
    Big Think, Big Think, 9 Sep. 2025
  • Professional objectivity, trust in data, and ethical judgment have always been essential, and remain especially important in today’s complex environment.
    Jason Ma, Fortune, 7 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • Mop-up and patrol will continue where appropriate to secure and strengthen containment.
    CA WILDFIRE BOT, Sacbee.com, 12 Sep. 2025
  • Ford dropped it from the Explorer’s retail lineup, but continues to offer it in police vehicles, which benefit from its ability to power AC and other accessories without running the engine when parked, as patrol vehicles often spend lots of time doing.
    Mark Phelan, USA Today, 11 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • But to the other, this is often construed as coldness or indifference.
    Mark Travers, Forbes.com, 7 Sep. 2025
  • Even when the glassy lakes thaw back into water, there’s this coldness that lingers.
    Leila Chatti September 5, Literary Hub, 5 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • Like the Michelin Guide, the reporters showed up to each restaurant unannounced and paid for each meal to ensure neutrality.
    Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 9 Sep. 2025
  • That’s because Scale’s tie-up with Meta means many of the big AI labs, worried about a loss of neutrality, no longer want to work with them, the founders argue.
    Rashi Shrivastava, Forbes.com, 9 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • Two fire engines, a brush rig and a battalion chief had to access the small fire in a hard-to-reach location by driving down cart paths and crossing fairways.
    City News Service, San Diego Union-Tribune, 8 Sep. 2025
  • White soldiers were reluctant to serve alongside the largely Black battalion, so the Harlem Hellfighters fought alongside the Allied French, fighting off enemy soldiers and becoming the first unit to reach the Rhine River.
    Alana Wise, NPR, 6 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • In the play’s most striking image, the dead sit in the Grover’s Corners graveyard in rows—rather like a theatre audience—watching the living with quiet dispassion.
    Helen Shaw, The New Yorker, 17 Oct. 2024
  • Nell shows a remarkable understanding of the song, a sense of dispassion that is both beautiful and chilling.
    Alexandra Del Rosario, Los Angeles Times, 8 Oct. 2024
Noun
  • India, an avatar of forceful neutralism early on, saw its influence diminished by regional conflict and domestic troubles.
    Erez Manela, Foreign Affairs, 14 Dec. 2021
  • Globalizing impulses helped bring about a flourishing of neutralism.
    Leo Robson, The New Yorker, 5 Dec. 2016
Noun
  • Unfortunately for Slightly, Hermit’s squadron needs him on patrol.
    Noel Murray, Vulture, 10 Sep. 2025
  • Any nation confronting Beijing will not face a handful of boutique drones or a symbolic squadron of stealth fighters.
    Amir Husain, Forbes.com, 3 Sep. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Detachment.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/detachment. Accessed 16 Sep. 2025.

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