differentiate

American  

[dif-uh-ren-shee-eyt] / 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

“I wanted to differentiate from bars and pubs,” she says.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 11, 2026

"Future guidelines may need to differentiate between the minimal moderate to vigorous exercise volume required for a basic safety margin and the substantially higher volumes necessary for optimal cardiovascular risk reduction," they conclude.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 8, 2026

Team golf was the most significant way in which LIV sought to differentiate itself.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 29, 2026

Each of these criteria have been used in prior studies to differentiate quality stocks from junk.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 15, 2026

Like Darwin’s finches, the mechanical birds had begun to differentiate themselves, branching into distinct species adapted for success in particular environments.

From "Hidden Figures" by Margot Lee Shetterly

Letting users revoke ACH access — which stops automatic bank withdrawals — at any time is one of the things that differentiates cash-advance apps from traditional lenders.

From MarketWatch ● Feb. 12, 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

People fall in love with the gunk that differentiates us from one another.

From Slate ● Jan. 7, 2026

The mining differentiates American Bitcoin from other so-called digital asset treasuries, or DATs, Roth argued.

From Barron's ● Dec. 10, 2025

It’s just one more thing that differentiates us.

From "Beasts of Prey" by Ayana Gray

Instead of coming from Neptune's first satellite system, the material could have originated in a large, differentiated Kuiper Belt object similar in size to Pluto.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 14, 2026

"EasyJet is a leader in European aviation, having built a differentiated market position through its compelling customer proposition, expansive network and strong brand," said Alex van Hoek, partner and European private equity lead at Apollo.

From BBC ● Aug. 6, 2026

Instead, its leading firms compete through innovation, producing highly differentiated, technology-intensive components that occupy critical positions in the global AI supply chain.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 20, 2026

In a statement, Apollo described EasyJet as "one of the most attractive businesses in the global aviation sector and a highly differentiated franchise with significant long-term growth potential".

From Barron's ● Jul. 10, 2026

The air moved a little faster and became a light wind, so that leeward and windward side were clearly differentiated.

From "Lord of the Flies" by William Golding

“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

One source said: "He could have at least said some parties differentiating between his own party and some of the others."

From BBC ● May 12, 2026

“With our diverse portfolio, robust manufacturing capacity and proven performance, we’re delivering differentiating technology at speed and scale in support of our customers’ needs,” Warden said.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 21, 2026

The company was exploring gate-based models early on, but abandoned those efforts in favor of differentiating itself through its focus on annealing, which has since become its bread and butter.

From Barron's ● Apr. 21, 2026

He felt himself included once again in the circle of humanity and was expecting from both the doctor and the locksmith, without differentiating between them with any real precision, splendid and surprising results.

From "The Metamorphosis" by Franz Kafka

Related Words

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