differentiate

American  

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

verb (used with object)

differentiated, differentiating

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)

differentiated, differentiating

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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Related Words

See distinguish.

Other Word Forms

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

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

Example Sentences

So they sought to differentiate themselves based on their experience and records in office.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 1, 2026

An important advantage of the test is its ability to differentiate pancreatic cancer from other non-cancerous pancreatic conditions, including pancreatitis.

From Science Daily • Mar. 23, 2026

Perhaps worse, with Waymo scaling and Nvidia looking to provide robo-taxi brains for car partners, “there is growing sentiment that Tesla may not sustainably differentiate on robo-taxis,” writes Spak.

From Barron's • Mar. 20, 2026

Matejka is careful to differentiate between current events and the oil-price shock of 2022 because that exacerbated an upward trend in inflation that was already triggered by the global pandemic.

From MarketWatch • Mar. 16, 2026

It was called that to differentiate it from a celluloid collar which was what poor men wore because it could be laundered simply by being wiped with a wet rag.

From "A Tree Grows in Brooklyn" by Betty Smith

Related Words

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