detachment

American  

[dih-tach-muhnt] / dɪˈtætʃ mənt /

noun

1. the act of detaching.

2. the condition of being detached.

3. aloofness, as from worldly affairs or from the concerns of others.

   Synonyms:

   unconcern, indifference, coolness

4. freedom from prejudice or partiality.

5. the act of sending out a detached force of troops or naval ships.

6. the body of troops or ships so detached.

---

detachment British  

/ dɪˈtætʃmənt /

noun

1. indifference to other people or to one's surroundings; aloofness

2. freedom from self-interest or bias; disinterest

3. the act of disengaging or separating something

4. the condition of being disengaged or separated; disconnection

5. military

   1. the separation of a small unit from its main body, esp of ships or troops

   2. the unit so detached

6. a branch office of a police force

7. logic the rule whereby the consequent of a true conditional statement, given the truth of its antecedent, may be asserted on its own See also modus ponens

---

Other Word Forms

• nondetachment noun
• predetachment noun

Etymology

Origin of detachment

From the French word détachement, dating back to 1660–70. See detach, -ment

Explanation

A state of being distant or standoffish is detachment. Your detachment might mean that you don't cry on the last day of school with all your friends — you're just not that emotionally involved. When you have a sense of detachment from your surroundings, you're a bit aloof or apart, especially in an emotional way. A more physical kind of detachment is an actual coming apart, when something breaks or separates: "The detachment of the wall and the baseboard made it hard to paint the kitchen." Finally, there is a military meaning of detachment — a unit or group of soldiers sent on a separate mission.

Example Sentences

But when we’re experiencing it through art, because it’s art, we know it’s not real, therefore there’s a detachment from it.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 8, 2026

Then it could be time for detachment and noncontact.

From MarketWatch • Mar. 3, 2026

“Do they really know what degradation looks like? Have they smelled what a landfill smells like? There’s such a detachment between intent and actuality,” she says.

From Slate • Jan. 26, 2026

Retinal detachment occurs when the thin layer at the back of the eye - the retina - becomes loose.

From BBC • Jan. 12, 2026

Of the detachment of twenty, only eight had come back to Hartford.

From "The Witch of Blackbird Pond" by Elizabeth George Speare

Related Words

• indifference
• neutrality
• objectivity
• remoteness