detail 1 of 2

noun

di-ˈtāl How to pronounce detail (audio)
Definition of detailnext
1
as in item
a separate part in a list, account, or series every detail was accounted for

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in fact
a single piece of information didn't leave out a single detail in his police report on the burglary

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
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
4
as in job
a specific task with which a person or group is charged the soldier was placed on guard detail at the border crossing

Synonyms & Similar Words

detail

2 of 2

verb

1
as in to station
to assign to a place or position once again he was detailed to guard duty

Synonyms & Similar Words
2
as in to name
to pick (someone) by one's authority for a specific position or duty the new assistant was detailed to accompany the boss on the business trip

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in to list
to specify one after another detailed all of the reasons that the plan was a bad idea

Synonyms & Similar Words

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
But the company warns that, as simulations run longer, details and object permanence can shift over time. — Jay Peters, The Verge, 27 Oct. 2026 Additional details about the collision were not immediately available. — Tim Fang, CBS News, 27 Oct. 2026
Verb
The shoes featured a stiletto heel with lace-up detailing around the ankle and glimmered slightly with a dramatic metallic finish that elevated the entire look. — Erin Wisti, Footwear News, 24 Oct. 2026 This approach has been increasingly implemented by Russian drone strike missions on Ukrainian cities, as detailed by The Kyiv Independent. — Jeremy Hsu, ArsTechnica, 23 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for detail
Recent Examples of Synonyms for detail
  1. item
  2. fact
  3. detachment
  4. job
  5. station
  6. name
  7. list
  8. patrol
Noun
  • Part of that strategy is to connect with younger consumers, hence a recent partnership with 21-year-old livestreamer iShowSpeed along with innovating with menu items, branding, and store layout.
    — Preston Fore, Fortune, 24 Oct. 2026
  • Its thrift store is stocked with clothes and items collected during student move-outs when many items get left behind, including Halloween costumes and accessories.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 24 Oct. 2026
Definition of item
Noun
  • Newborn kangaroos Along with photos of Irwin and Lew, the KC Zoo shared facts about how red kangaroos develop after they are born.
    — Kendrick Calfee, Kansas City Star, 24 Oct. 2026
  • Tech1’s organizers have, like Snitkovsky, asserted that the timing was adjusted simply to take advantage of the fact that so many expat Israelis would be flying in to vote.
    — Daniel Brook, New Yorker, 24 Oct. 2026
Definition of fact
Noun
  • His household becomes a microcosm of a broader societal moral decay, fuelled by detachment, indifference, corruption, complacency and the pursuit of comfort.
    — Katherine Brodsky, Variety, 16 Oct. 2026
  • Researchers found that these processes are also accelerating the glacier’s detachment from stabilizing ridges, leading to more rapid ice flow and deterioration.
    — Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 15 Oct. 2026
Definition of detachment
Noun
  • Our job, before and after AI, is building safe and useful products for human beings, and engineers are still best suited for that.
    — Brian Jenney, IEEE Spectrum, 23 Oct. 2026
  • The Commission’s sovereignty framework considers the extent to which investment, jobs and value creation remain within the EU and European Economic Area.
    — Margot Edelman, Fortune, 23 Oct. 2026
Definition of job
Verb
  • In 2016, tens of thousands of people demonstrated calling for an end to the US military presence on Okinawa following the killing of a local woman by a civilian worker stationed at the US Kadena Air Base.
    — Yumi Asada, CNN Money, 26 Oct. 2026
  • Devin Jacob Ballard, stationed at Marine Corps Air Station Futenma in Okinawa, is suspected of killing Anna Yagi, 39, in a hotel in Naha, the prefectural capital, earlier this month.
    — Reuters, NBC news, 26 Oct. 2026
Definition of station
Verb
  • In June, Kifowit was named executive director of the Construction Industry Service Corporation, a non-profit labor-management association representing unionized construction trades in Cook, DuPage, Lake, McHenry, Kane and Kendall counties.
    — Denise Crosby, Chicago Tribune, 28 Oct. 2026
  • In the late 20th century the Zapatista National Liberation Army (Ejército Zapatista de Liberación Nacional; EZLN), named for the peasant revolutionary Emiliano Zapata, was founded to protect Indigenous communities.
    — Encyclopedia Britannica, Encyclopedia Britannica, 27 Oct. 2026
Definition of name
Verb
  • Cleveland Clinic lists a long slate of possible benefits ranging from lower blood pressure and improved oxygen levels to reduced snoring, better dry mouth and improved bad breath.
    — Samantha Agate, Charlotte Observer, 24 Oct. 2026
  • In its November issue, Food & Wine magazine lists Francesco Martucci in Wynwood as one of the 27 Best Pizzas in America.
    — Connie Ogle, Miami Herald, 24 Oct. 2026
Definition of list
Noun
  • The new team will focus exclusively on traffic enforcement, allowing officers to concentrate on violations that regular patrol officers might not have time to address, Salgado said.
    — Verónica Egui Brito, Miami Herald, 27 Oct. 2026
  • When Buchanan requested a return to patrol in 2012, his discomfort increased.
    — Edmund H. Mahony, Hartford Courant, 27 Oct. 2026
Definition of patrol

Phrases Containing detail

Browse Nearby Words

detachments
detail
detailed
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Detail.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/detail. Accessed 28 Oct. 2026.

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