detente
day-TAHNT
/deɪˈtɑːnt/
The easing of hostility or strained relations, especially between countries.
Focuses on relaxing military or political tension and avoiding war, without necessarily implying total trust or friendship.
The story behind the word. Borrowed from Old French 'détendre', meaning 'to unbend or loosen'. It comes from Latin 'tendere' (to stretch). Think of unbending a fully drawn bowstring—releasing the physical tension so the bow is no longer under pressure to shoot.
Word relationships
- thaw: A metaphorical term for the easing of cold relations; detente is the precise political term.
- easing of tensions: Descriptive phrase lacking the specific historical and strategic gravity of detente.
- escalation: An increase in intensity, tension, or military hostility.
- confrontation: Direct conflict or open hostility.
Commonly confused with
- rapprochement: Detente stops hostilities and lowers heat; rapprochement actively builds warm alliance and cooperation.
Collocations
- policy of detente
- era of detente
- foster detente
- promote detente
Example sentences
- "The period of detente in the 1970s led to several crucial arms control treaties between the superpower rivals." Cold War Politics
- "Both nations agreed to reduced troop presence along the border as a sign of mutual detente." Geopolitical Analysis
Memory hook
DETENTE = UN-TENSE. Lowering the tension in a room. Unbending the drawn bowstring of war.
When not to use
Do not use to describe warm allies becoming even closer friends.
Fun facts
- The word became world-famous during the 1970s to describe the reduction of Cold War nuclear tensions between the US and USSR.
Related words
Explore more words
rapprochement, entente, defuse, de-escalation, de-escalate, diplomacy
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