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

"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

“It is during this period that leading companies find ways to differentiate themselves by innovating, delivering new and superior solutions, and driving durable growth. This is where PayPal needs to focus.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 29, 2026

This was used to differentiate between those with and without endometriosis, correctly identifying more than 95% of endometriosis patients.

From BBC ● Jul. 7, 2026

I told him how he should do more avant- garde thematic restaurant design, to differentiate himself from the other firms.

From "The Joy Luck Club" by Amy Tan

For now, a court has temporarily blocked the department from moving forward with the part of the rule that differentiates loan limits between different professions.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 1, 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

"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

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

Myricx Bio’s approach delivers differentiated cancer-killing mechanisms directly to tumor cells, Novartis said.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 6, 2026

Qualcomm can compete — not as the company that dethrones Nvidia, but as a credible, differentiated option in a fast-growing market.

From MarketWatch ● Jun. 25, 2026

Were we more subtly differentiated we must long since have gone mad, have deserted, or have fallen.

From "All Quiet on the Western Front: A Novel" by Erich Maria Remarque

The IPO will allow Quantinuum to position itself as “a premier, institutional-grade quantum asset because it’s differentiating its go-to-market approach,” he added.

From MarketWatch ● Jun. 4, 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

“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

Unlike past bubble setups, the market hasn’t been flooded with tech IPOs, with those to come likely to offer justification for differentiating within the sector.

From MarketWatch ● Apr. 7, 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