diacritical

[ dahy-uh-krit-i-kuh l ]

/ ˌdaɪ əˈkrɪt ɪ kəl /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR diacritical ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective

serving to distinguish; distinctive.

capable of distinguishing.

Phonetics. serving as a diacritic.

RELATED WORDS

discriminating, marking

Nearby words

diaclasis, diaconal, diaconate, diaconicon, diacritic, diacritical, diactinic, diad, diadelphous, diadem, diadem spider

Origin of diacritical

First recorded in 1740–50; diacritic + -al¹

Related forms

di·a·crit·i·cal·ly, adverb

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for diacritical

The words with ligature and diacritical marks have been standardized.
The Aboriginal Population of Alameda and Contra Costa Counties, California|S. F. Cook
Errors in punctuation and diacritical marks in French were fixed.
A Journey from Prince of Wales's Fort in Hudson's Bay to the Northern Ocean in the Years 1769, 1770, 1771, 1772|Samuel Hearne
Some apparent errors in the use of diacritical marks have been amended.
Japanese Swords|Anonymous
The system of diacritical marks used is explained on the first page of the index.
The Story of the Thirteen Colonies|H. A. (Hlne Adeline) Guerber

Diacritical marks are frequently missing either in the text or in captions.
Famous Men and Great Events of the Nineteenth Century|Charles Morris

British Dictionary definitions for diacritical

diacritical

/ (ˌdaɪəˈkrɪtɪkəl) /

adjective

of or relating to a diacritic

showing up a distinction

Derived Forms

diacritically, adverb

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012