: the relaxation of strained relations or tensions (as between nations)
diplomats brokering a détente
also: a policy promoting this
2
: a period of détente
the beginning of a détente
Example Sentences
as the countries move toward détente the start of a détente
Recent Examples on the WebThe two reached an uneasy detente but the situation was never truly resolved, sources say. Kim Masters, The Hollywood Reporter, 15 June 2022 The remnants of the old Ostpolitik of the Social Democrats, based on detente with Russia? Vanessa Guinan-bank, Washington Post, 26 June 2022 There is also no guarantee that an American-Iranian detente would lead to a more stable Middle East. Firas Maksad, WSJ, 21 Mar. 2022 Senior administration officials have for weeks been laying the groundwork for defense of detente with Riyadh. Noah Bierman, Los Angeles Times, 12 July 2022 Now the world’s second-largest car maker, VW benefited like few other companies from decades of post-Cold War detente, falling import tariffs and just-in-time supply chains. William Boston, WSJ, 27 Mar. 2022 Perhaps this detente is a mere facade, a public front meant to appease the masses and slow the onslaught of questions while, below the surface, the waters continue to roil and churn. Eric Walden, The Salt Lake Tribune, 24 Feb. 2022 Decades-old detente is attractive for the liberal post-war world, but if the last months have taught us anything, it’s that Moscow has little appreciation for that stasis. Philip Elliott, Time, 23 Mar. 2022 Aria reflected a therapeutic detente between trauma and hope. Robin Givhan, Washington Post, 15 Nov. 2021 See More