distinctive

American  

[dih-stingk-tiv] / dɪˈstɪŋk tɪv /

adjective

1. serving to distinguish; characteristic; distinguishing: distinguishing.

   the distinctive stripes of the zebra.

   Synonyms:

   individual

2. having a special quality, style, attractiveness, etc.; notable.

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distinctive British  

/ dɪˈstɪŋktɪv /

adjective

1. serving or tending to distinguish

2. denoting one of a set of minimal features of a phoneme in a given language that serve to distinguish it from other phonemes. The distinctive features of /p/ in English are that it is voiceless, bilabial, non-nasal, and plosive; /b/ is voiced, bilabial, non-nasal, and plosive: the two differ by the distinctive feature of voice

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Other Word Forms

• distinctively adverb
• distinctiveness noun
• subdistinctive adjective
• subdistinctively adverb
• subdistinctiveness noun

Etymology

Origin of distinctive

First recorded in 1575–85; from Medieval Latin distinctīvus; equivalent to distinct + -ive

Example Sentences

Fender’s guitars had a distinctive bright, twangy sound, and futuristic styling.

From The Wall Street Journal

Kirkland was not a paparazzo: Stars looked to him for portrayals of themselves that were distinctive and flattering.

From The Wall Street Journal

Startlingly different compositional styles are mapped acutely onto Mr. Jackson’s distinctive word rhythms while bringing out his underlying themes.

From The Wall Street Journal

All beach scenes, all covered in Mom’s distinctive printing.

From Literature

She encouraged wearing the outfit "in all its diverse forms, designs, and expressions, complemented by its distinctive and beautiful accessories".

From BBC

Related Words

• cool
• extraordinary
• idiosyncratic
• offbeat
• original
• peculiar
• singular
• special
• weird