Definition of "detachment" []

• The act or process of disconnecting or detaching; separation. (noun)
• The state of being separate or detached. (noun)
• Indifference to or remoteness from the concerns of others; aloofness: preserved a chilly detachment in his relations with the family. (noun)
• Absence of prejudice or bias; disinterest: strove to maintain her professional detachment in the case. (noun)
• The dispatch of a military unit, such as troops or ships, from a larger body for a special duty or mission. (noun)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• "But there should be a certain detachment from the writer's own passions."
• "They're not criticizing him for attending the G-20 summit in France last week nor the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation meetings - his predecessors attended the same gatherings - but they criticized what they called detachment from budget negotiations."
• "Traditional models define successful mourning in terms of detachment from the loved one who has died; the ability to cut the strings of grief, and to step into the roles of mothers and fathers vacated by the dead."