distinct

American  

[dih-stingkt] / dɪˈstɪŋkt /

adjective

1. distinguished as not being the same; not identical; separate (sometimes followed byfrom ).

   His private and public lives are distinct.

   Synonyms:

   individual, discrete

2. different in nature or quality; dissimilar (sometimes followed byfrom ).

   Gold is distinct from iron.

3. clear to the senses or intellect; plain; unmistakable.

   The ship appeared as a distinct silhouette.

   Synonyms:

   well-defined, sharp, unlike, distinguishable, disparate, different

   Antonyms:

   indistinct

4. distinguishing or perceiving clearly.

   distinct vision.

5. unquestionably exceptional or notable.

   a distinct honor.

6. Archaic. distinctively decorated or adorned.

---

distinct British  

/ dɪˈstɪŋkt /

adjective

1. easily sensed or understood; clear; precise

2. (when postpositive, foll by from) not the same (as); separate (from); distinguished (from)

3. not alike; different

4. sharp; clear

5. recognizable; definite

   a distinct improvement

6. explicit; unequivocal

7. maths logic (of a pair of entities) not identical

8. botany (of parts of a plant) not joined together; separate

---

Usage

What are other ways to say distinct?

The adjective distinct is used to describe things that are clearly distinguished from others. How does distinct compare to synonyms different, various, and diverse? Find out on Thesaurus.com.

Other Word Forms

• distinctness
  noun
• distinctly
  adverb

Etymology

Origin of distinct

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English, from Latin distinctus, “divided off,” past participle of disting(u)ere “to divide off, pick out, distinguish,” from di- di- ² + sting(u)ere (unrecorded), presumably, “to prick, mark by pricking”; cf. instinct ¹, instigate

Explanation

When something is distinct, it is easily identifiable or set apart from others of its kind. An eighth-grader who is six feet tall has a distinct advantage over the other kids on the basketball court. A thing can be distinct if it is easy to see, either because it is different in some way from the things around it or if it is more clear and visible, as in: “The license number of the getaway car was more distinct once I cleaned my glasses.” The word distinct comes from “to distinguish,” which is when a person or thing is set apart from the pack: “The research that she did was distinct in its attention to detail.”

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

distinct

The MIT team instead created a repeating set of three antennas with distinct shapes.

From Science Daily ● Jul. 22, 2026

I’ve worked for many, and I know the distinct frustration of being pinged with, “Just checking in!” less than an hour after being asked how something is “coming along.”

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 21, 2026

Those distinct layers of chilled dough and butter are what create puff pastry’s dramatic height, so if the sheet begins to feel limp or greasy, return it to the refrigerator for 10 to 15 minutes.

From Salon ● Jul. 20, 2026

Tan compared Beijing’s sensitivity to any suggestion of a Taiwan distinct from China to an obsessive-compulsive disorder.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 20, 2026

“I’ve decided Duuzuu makes three distinct noises,” said Connor.

From "Willodeen" by Katherine Applegate

Related Words

• discrete
• disparate
• dissimilar
• distinctive
• divergent
• diverse
• offbeat
• particular
• peculiar
• separate
• special
• specific
• unique
• various