DETAINED Synonyms: 180 Similar and Opposite Words

detained 1 of 2

adjective

as in delayed

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detained

2 of 2

verb

past tense of detain

as in arrested

to take or keep (someone) in confinement by authority of law Police detained the suspect.

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Dissimilar Words

as in slowed

to keep (someone or something) from proceeding or progressing She sent word that she had been unavoidably detained. The plane was detained for hours due to inclement weather.

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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 detained

Verb

As advocates have noted, however, many migrants aren’t given a proper hearing and receive as little as a day’s notice before they are sent to a distant country, where they are detained upon arrival. — Harmeet Kaur, CNN Money, 3 Sep. 2026 Police tracked down Mire to a north Phoenix address, where she was detained. — David Ulloa Jr, AZCentral.com, 3 Sep. 2026 Nafikov filed his habeas petition in April after being detained in Adams County Correctional Center for over a year and a half. — Carla Astudillo, ProPublica, 3 Sep. 2026 On the night Greene was shot, Skaggs said Jeffersonville’s SWAT team executed a search warrant at the apartment and detained two people. — Monroe Trombly, Louisville Courier Journal, 2 Sep. 2026 Bartko was detained by ICE in Florida in June 2026, and taken to the Miramar ICE field office after local charges were dropped for a domestic battery charge. — Nathan Lee, ABC News, 2 Sep. 2026 This week dozens of Haitian migrants were taken to the Krome Detention Center in southwest Miami-Dade after being detained in front of grocery stores and shopping malls. — Jacqueline Charles, Miami Herald, 27 Aug. 2026 He was arrested a week later in Chicago by local police at Union Station after he was detained by Amtrak. — Charlotte Observer, 26 Aug. 2026 Las Madres Unidas en la Lucha were among about 40 women detained by immigration agents in March. — Drew Aunkst, CBS News, 26 Aug. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for detained

Adjective

After Tuesday’s practice, Purdy detailed how a delayed throw to Luke Farrell got intercepted by linebacker Del-Shawn Phillips off near the goal line.

— Cam Inman, Mercury News, 21 Aug. 2026
The Real Problem Is The Ripple A delayed flight is easy to detect.

— Ishraq Khan, Forbes.com, 12 Aug. 2026

Definition of delayed

Verb

But her condition has deteriorated significantly in the months since she was first arrested in Miami-Dade County on May 5 and booked on a misdemeanor battery charge.

— Matthew Kelly, Kansas City Star, 30 Aug. 2026
Weatherall was arrested in connection with the incident, per the outlet, Fox Carolina and Greenville County public arrest records.

— Toria Sheffield, PEOPLE, 30 Aug. 2026

Definition of arrested

Adjective

Lenders often classify accounts 90+ days late as seriously delinquent, which causes many models to classify you as high risk.

— Ryley Amond, CNBC, 27 Aug. 2026
For example, creditors may be more willing to negotiate when an account is seriously delinquent and there is a legitimate financial hardship that makes full repayment unlikely.

— Angelica Leicht, CBS News, 26 Aug. 2026

Definition of delinquent

Verb

Durk has maintained his innocence since being apprehended and he can be sentenced up to life in prison if convicted.

— Michael Saponara, Billboard, 27 Aug. 2026
The teens walked away from the wreck with few injuries and tried to run, but authorities apprehended them shortly afterward, officials said.

— Sarah Rumpf-Whitten, FOXNews.com, 26 Aug. 2026

Definition of apprehended

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Style

“Detained.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/detained. Accessed 4 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of detained

adjective

verb

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