Detractor
/dɪˈtræk.tər/noun
A person who criticizes or disparages someone or something.
Did you know?Detractor comes from Latin detractare, a frequentative of detrahere, meaning to pull or drag away—so the insult began as a physical act before becoming verbal shade.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*tragh-
“to pull, drag”
Latin
Latin
trahere
“to draw, pull”
Latin
Latin
detrahere
“to pull down, draw away”
Late Latin
Latin
detractor
“one who pulls down; a disparager”
Middle English
English
detractor
“a slanderer or backbiter”
Modern English
English
detractor
“a person who criticizes or disparages”