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as in detachment
a small military unit with a special task or function the officer sent out a detail to patrol the perimeter of the compound

Synonyms & Similar Words

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detail

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verb

Synonym Chooser

How does the noun detail contrast with its synonyms?

The words item and particular are common synonyms of detail. While all three words mean "one of the distinct parts of a whole," detail applies to one of the small component parts of a larger whole such as a task, building, painting, narration, or process.

leave the details to others

When could item be used to replace detail?

In some situations, the words item and detail are roughly equivalent. However, item applies to each thing specified separately in a list or in a group of things that might be listed or enumerated.

every item on the list

When might particular be a better fit than detail?

While in some cases nearly identical to detail, particular stresses the smallness, singleness, and especially the concreteness of a detail or item.

a description that included few particulars

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 detail
Noun
However, Sloss did not share any details at the time. Lauryn Overhultz, FOXNews.com, 14 Apr. 2025 Late in the day Friday, prosecutors called FBI agent Kelly Shanahan, one of the lead agents on the case who gave the greatest detail yet on how investigators got onto Maani in the first place. Jason Meisner, Chicago Tribune, 14 Apr. 2025
Verb
They’re made with Spanx’s famously soft four-way stretch and detailed with subtle pintucks and ribbed trim for an elevated finish. Rosie Marder, Travel + Leisure, 16 Apr. 2025 The breakthrough is detailed in a study published in November in The Astronomical Journal. Margherita Bassi, Smithsonian Magazine, 15 Apr. 2025 See All Example Sentences for detail
Recent Examples of Synonyms for detail
Noun
  • In honor of the 2025 Stanley Cup playoffs, the restaurant is offering a BOGO meal deal on entree items to jersey-wearing customers who dine-in through the end of the business day.
    Amaris Encinas, USA Today, 22 Apr. 2025
  • Plastic bottles, aluminum cans and wooden pallets are among the items banned from landfills in the state.
    Evan Moore, Charlotte Observer, 21 Apr. 2025
Noun
  • In fact, the past few years have seen a particular rise in the drag king scene on the island.
    James Factora, Them., 22 Apr. 2025
  • In fact, the situation is so dire that the White House should invoke the Defense Production Act to develop new and more powerful energetics, expand munitions production, and create strategic reserves of both.
    MICHAEL BROWN, Foreign Affairs, 22 Apr. 2025
Noun
  • Since detachment requires ongoing emotional processing — the kind that can flicker in and out of your consciousness for years — this could explain why, for many, fully relinquishing an ex isn’t a matter of months.
    Mark Travers, Forbes.com, 7 Apr. 2025
  • By adding a photo of an ICE arrest to a light-hearted viral trend, for instance, the White House account manages to perfectly capture the sociopathic, fascistic tone of ironic detachment and glee of the internet’s darkest corners and most malignant trolls.
    Charlie Warzel, The Atlantic, 28 Mar. 2025
Noun
  • Sure enough, in early 2024, PJ took a job as an avionics technician at Tinker.
    Jenni Carlson, USA Today, 19 Apr. 2025
  • Young people also admit that AI can do its job better than humans.
    Emily Forlini, PC Magazine, 18 Apr. 2025
Verb
  • Fifteen years after her husband’s drowning in the nearby bay, Tressilian’s days are spent in a cranky routine: grumbling over the obscene resort stationed on the opposite bluff, reading London’s gossip columns, and summoning the household help with the insistent ringing of a bedroom call bell.
    Erik Morse, Vogue, 15 Apr. 2025
  • There were vendors offering dessert, beer, wine, spirits, caramel corn, root beer floats, olive oil and pecans from Krazy 4 Nutz of Yuba City, which were particularly fragrant along the aisle of vendors stationed near the event entrance.
    Chris Biderman, Sacbee.com, 12 Apr. 2025
Verb
  • It wasn’t named in the companion antitrust cases of Hubbard or Carter, either.
    Daniel Libit, Sportico.com, 11 Apr. 2025
  • Def Jam and Universal Music Group have been named defendants in the lawsuit, as well.
    Armon Sadler, VIBE.com, 10 Apr. 2025
Verb
  • Yes Please list the highlights of your civic involvement/activism in the city of Fort Worth: Served on Fort Worth City Council since 2023 Have you ever been arrested, charged with a crime or otherwise been part of a criminal proceeding?
    Harrison Mantas, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 20 Apr. 2025
  • Ahead of the match, Washington listed eleven players as unavailable, including star forward Trinity Rodman, who stepped away from team activities to address her continuing back issues.
    Asli Pelit, New York Times, 20 Apr. 2025
Noun
  • The person who was killed hit the patrol vehicle from behind and was pronounced dead at the scene, police said.
    Shambhavi Rimal, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 21 Apr. 2025
  • Joel and Dina are out on patrol and so are Ellie and Jesse.
    Erik Kain, Forbes.com, 21 Apr. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Detail.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/detail. Accessed 26 Apr. 2025.

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