One of the mysteries of the English language finally explained.
Synonyms of detract in English:
detract
See definition of detract
verb
1‘the few reservations I have expressed are not intended to detract from the book's excellence’
SYNONYMS
belittle, take away from, diminish, reduce, lessen, minimize, lower, make light of, play down, discount, soft-pedal, brush aside, gloss over, trivialize, decry, depreciate, denigrate, devalue, devaluate, deprecate
informal pooh-pooh
archaic hold cheap
rare derogate, misprize, minify
ANTONYMS
enhance
2‘if too many patterns are used together, they will detract attention from each other’
SYNONYMS
divert, distract, turn away, turn aside, draw away, head off, deflect, avert, shift
ANTONYMS
attract