differential

American  

[dif-uh-ren-shuhl] / ˌdɪf əˈrɛn ʃəl /

adjective

1. of or relating to difference or diversity.

2. constituting a difference; distinguishing; distinctive.

   a differential feature.

3. exhibiting or depending upon a difference or distinction.

4. Physics, Machinery. pertaining to or involving the difference of two or more motions, forces, etc.

5. Mathematics. pertaining to or involving a derivative or derivatives.

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noun

• differentials
  plural

1. a difference or the amount of difference, as in rate, cost, quantity, degree, or quality, between things that are comparable.

2. Also called differential gear.  Machinery. an epicyclic train of gears designed to permit two or more shafts to rotate at different speeds, as a set of gears in an automobile permitting the rear wheels to be driven at different speeds when the car is turning.

3. Mathematics.

   1. a function of two variables that is obtained from a given function, y = f (x ), and that expresses the approximate increment in the given function as the derivative of the function times the increment in the independent variable, written as dy = f′ (x ) dx.

   2. any generalization of this function to higher dimensions.

4. Commerce.

   1. the difference involved in a differential rate.

   2. differential rate.

5. Physics. the quantitative difference between two or more forces, motions, etc..

   a pressure differential.

differential British  

/ ˌdɪfəˈrɛnʃəl /

adjective

1. of, relating to, or using a difference

2. constituting a difference; distinguishing

3. maths of, containing, or involving one or more derivatives or differentials

4. physics engineering relating to, operating on, or based on the difference between two effects, motions, forces, etc

   differential amplifier

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noun

1. a factor that differentiates between two comparable things

2. maths

   1. an increment in a given function, expressed as the product of the derivative of that function and the corresponding increment in the independent variable

   2. an increment in a given function of two or more variables, f( x 1 , x 2 , … xn ), expressed as the sum of the products of each partial derivative and the increment in the corresponding variable

3. an epicyclic gear train that permits two shafts to rotate at different speeds while being driven by a third shaft See also differential gear

4. the difference between rates of pay for different types of labour, esp when forming a pay structure within an industry

5. (in commerce) a difference in rates, esp between comparable labour services or transportation routes

differential Scientific  

/ dĭf′ə-rĕn′shəl /

1. An infinitesimal increment in a variable.

2. The product of the derivative of a function of one variable and the increment of the independent variable.

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• differentially
  adverb

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• differentials
  plural

Etymology

Origin of differential

1640–50; < Medieval Latin differentiālis, equivalent to differenti ( a ) difference + ālis -al ¹

Explanation

Things that show a difference or act in different ways can be described as differential. You and your sister may get differential benefits from eating a vegetarian diet. You're most likely to come across the adjective differential in scholarly or scientific writing — it's really just a more formal way to say "different" or "differing." Sociological studies or articles often describe differential circumstances or outcomes, like the differential effects on various children of being raised with one parent. The Latin differentia is at the root of differential — it means "diversity or difference," and it comes from differre, "to set apart."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

differential differentials

Heisenberg: Cunha is arguably the best differential at United.

From BBC ● Aug. 14, 2026

“This could catalyze some family conversations” as the price differential between single-line and multiline plans shrinks, said David Barden, telecom partner at New Street Research.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 15, 2026

The team also combined transcriptomics, the large-scale study of gene activity, with an advanced computational method known as differential clustering.

From Science Daily ● Jul. 12, 2026

Perkins added that it predicts the dollar’s growth differential will narrow within the next 12 months as Asian and European economies – hit more heavily by the energy shock – begin to recover.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 3, 2026

He spent his nights alone, wrote romantic poems in his journal, took pleasure in the grace and beauty of differential equations.

From "The Things They Carried" by Tim O'Brien

And then there’s the wild card: interest-rate differentials.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 2, 2026

Also, Australia-U.S. yield differentials continue to point lower for the currency pair, the analyst adds.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 24, 2026

The Goldman Sachs forex team underlines Baur’s point: “rate differentials have a larger and more consistent correlation with the dollar than oil prices.”

From MarketWatch ● Jun. 19, 2026

Many economists expect the yen to remain under pressure, driven by continued safe-haven demand for the greenback and a potential rewidening of yield differentials as global central banks tighten policy settings to combat resurgent inflation.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 16, 2026

Nevertheless, underneath all the mathematics, Leibniz’s differentials still had the same forbidden 0/0 nature that plagued Newton’s fluxions.

From "Zero: The Biography of a Dangerous Idea" by Charles Seife

Related Words

• characteristic
• contrast
• difference
• differentiation
• discrepancy
• discrimination
• divergence
• division
• judgment
• nicety
• perception
• quality
• sensitivity
• separation