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

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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

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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

“The nano display, that’s really going to differentiate it, because it gives it a nice feel when you’re playing with the device.”

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 16, 2026

Anderson specialises in challenging UTI cases, and is leading a group of medical experts to develop a medical definition of chronic UTIs to differentiate it from other conditions.

From BBC ● Oct. 13, 2026

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

To differentiate itself from other mall-based competitors, Aritzia adopted the phrase “Everyday Luxury.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 10, 2026

In time, judging from his uncombed and disheveled physical appearance, it was difficult to differentiate Bobby from the down-and-outers of the area.

From "Endgame" by Frank Brady

“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

But as the AGs’ lawsuit notes, “Section 122 expressly differentiates between ‘balance of payments’ and ‘balance of trade.’

From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 8, 2026

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

From Slate ● Jan. 7, 2026

It’s just one more thing that differentiates us.

From "Beasts of Prey" by Ayana Gray

Still, Intel brings differentiated IP and advanced packaging capabilities, he noted.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 5, 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

“This development could give rise to a more differentiated regional FX outlook,” they add.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 14, 2026

The maze of identical hallways differentiated only by different Wildkit murals that used to scare the hell out of me.

From "Will Grayson, Will Grayson" by John Green and David Levithan

So the differentiating skill set or capability is: Can you recognize patterns?

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 21, 2026

“After a marriage for this period of time, differentiating between marital and non-marital assets became excessively challenging,” when they got divorced, he says.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 8, 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

She pointed out that anxieties about job security have led some young people to prioritize differentiating themselves at work.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 23, 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

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Related Words

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

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