DETRACTING Synonyms: 13 Similar and Opposite Words

detracting

verb

present participle of detract

as in distracting

to draw the attention or mind to something else numerous typos in the text detract the reader's attention from the novel's intricate plot

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Recent Examples of detracting An expansion into New Mexico would add oil revenue from the Permian Basin to Texas, adding to its economy and detracting, in turn, from New Mexico's. —

Kate Plummer, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 Mar. 2026 Some asserted that the commitment and costs of traveling and attending meetings paired with the limited compensation was detracting members of the public from running for office. —

Luis Melecio-Zambrano, Mercury News, 19 Sep. 2025

Recent Examples of Synonyms for detracting

Verb

The formal obligation to bow or curtsy will force targets to bend a knee and break eye contact—a perfect opening for the President to place something distracting like a Twix bar on their heads.

— Dahlia Gallin Ramirez, New Yorker, 9 June 2026
Reid plays this so well, but the direction is a little over the top, with drug-trip visuals that are too distracting to follow the dense-as-ever disjointed narration.

— Rebecca Alter, Vulture, 8 June 2026