differentiate

American  

[dif-uh-ren-shee-ayt] / ˌdɪf əˈrɛn ʃiˌeɪt /

verb (used with object)

• differentiates,
  present (3rd person singular)
• differentiated,
  past participle,  past
• differentiating
  present participle

1. to form or mark differently from other such things; distinguish.

2. to change; alter.

3. to perceive the difference in or between.

   Synonyms:

   separate

4. to make different by modification, as a biological species.

5. Mathematics. to obtain the differential or the derivative of.

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verb (used without object)

• differentiates,
  present (3rd person singular)
• differentiated,
  past participle,  past
• differentiating
  present participle

1. to become unlike or dissimilar; change in character.

2. to make a distinction.

3. Biology. (of cells or tissues) to change from relatively generalized to specialized kinds, during development.

differentiate British  

/ ˌdɪfəˈrɛnʃɪˌeɪt /

verb

1. (tr) to serve to distinguish between

2. to perceive, show, or make a difference (in or between); discriminate

3. (intr) to become dissimilar or distinct

4. maths to perform a differentiation on (a quantity, expression, etc)

5. (intr) (of unspecialized cells, etc) to change during development to more specialized forms

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Synonym Usage

See distinguish.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• differentiation
  noun
• differentiator
  noun
• redifferentiate
  verb
• interdifferentiate
  verb (used with object)
• self-differentiating
  adjective
• undifferentiated
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Participles

• differentiating
  present
• differentiated
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• differentiate
  simple
• differentiates
  simple
• have differentiated
  perfect
• has differentiated
  perfect
• am differentiating
  progressive
• are differentiating
  progressive
• is differentiating
  progressive
• have been differentiating
  perfect progressive
• has been differentiating
  perfect progressive

Past

• differentiated
  simple
• had differentiated
  perfect
• was differentiating
  progressive
• were differentiating
  progressive
• had been differentiating
  perfect progressive

Future

• will differentiate
  simple
• will have differentiated
  perfect
• will be differentiating
  progressive
• will have been differentiating
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of differentiate

First recorded in 1810–20; from Medieval Latin differentiātus distinguished (past participle of differentiāre ), equivalent to Latin different(ia) difference + -ātus -ate ¹

Explanation

To differentiate is to identify the differences between things, to discriminate among them. For example, if the light is dim at the party, you might find it hard to differentiate between the spicy bean dip and the chocolate sauce. You can see different in differentiate. This will help you remember that it has to do with finding how things are different, or making them different. For example, identical twins look alike but if you get to know them, personality traits, speech patterns and their likes and dislikes help differentiate one from another. Also, when you wear a team uniform the number on your back helps coaches differentiate between teammates when everyone is playing fast.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

differentiate differentiates differentiated differentiating

In the past five years, at least three states — Minnesota, Michigan and Texas — have changed their laws so that they do not differentiate based on whether someone had voluntarily become intoxicated.

From Salon ● Oct. 3, 2026

Importantly, the treated muscle cells continued to grow and differentiate normally.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 5, 2026

As mentioned last month, Hulu’s integration into Disney+ has progressed to a point where it’s more and more difficult to differentiate between the two standalone services.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 31, 2026

The company’s efforts to differentiate its products further are starting to bear fruit, executives said on the call.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 19, 2026

He bounded up and down the river’s edge, frustrated, but from no direction could he differentiate one human scent from another.

From "Pax" by Sara Pennypacker

“I think it makes a difference, a record versus intentions,” Bass said when asked what differentiates her from her opponent.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 4, 2026

What differentiates Coherent, which manufactures lasers and transceivers, is that the company is vertically integrated, from the raw-materials layer to lasers and the modules that house them.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 1, 2026

That mind-set differentiates the company from other tech players claiming to have moral redlines in defense and intelligence operations.

From Barron's ● Mar. 2, 2026

That differentiates United from most non-airline co-branded card issuers and a lot of rival airlines that issue cards, he says.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 22, 2026

It’s just one more thing that differentiates us.

From "Beasts of Prey" by Ayana Gray

Investors had previously been concerned with Meta’s abilities to build a differentiated AI product, Bank of America’s Justin Post believes.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 22, 2026

In their ruling on Tuesday, the five Supreme Court judges said the law had long differentiated between child and adult killers, and that the trial judge had correctly and fairly decided on a minimum term.

From BBC ● Sep. 22, 2026

He said the company would instead invest in journalism that “is differentiated, consequential and difficult to replicate; reporting rooted in our communities and strengthened by sources, investigation, verification, context and judgment.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 19, 2026

Volvo is betting that new models with self-driving and infotainment systems, as well as differentiated interior designs, will make its cars more relevant to Chinese consumers, Severinson says.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 18, 2026

He began speaking with the peculiar grave courtesy that differentiated him from the majority of Inner Party members.

From "1984" by George Orwell

“If they go too far away from their core business model, what is their differentiating factor … to an Expedia? To a Kayak? To a Priceline?”

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 11, 2026

Some health researchers have been working to "destigmatise loneliness" by differentiating between chronic loneliness forced by circumstance and those who have agency to choose to live and spend time alone.

From BBC ● Aug. 1, 2026

He explains this glaring inconsistency, sort of, by differentiating between active and passive real-estate investment.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 1, 2026

“But the active space is really about strategy and performance. If you have a creative strategy and great performance, that’s still very differentiating, and investors are less fee sensitive.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 4, 2026

Others, like Dorothy Hoover and Doris Cohen, had highly refined understandings of theoretical math, differentiating their way through nested equations ten pages deep with nary an error in sign.

From "Hidden Figures" by Margot Lee Shetterly

Related Words

• adapt
• alter
• diversify
• modify
• transform
• vary