differentiation

American  

[dif-uh-ren-shee-ay-shuhn] / ˌdɪf əˌrɛn ʃiˈeɪ ʃən /

noun

• differentiations
  plural

1. the act or process of differentiating, or the state of being differentiated.

2. Mathematics. the operation of finding the differential or derivative of a function.

3. Biology. the process by which cells or tissues change from relatively generalized to specialized kinds, during development.

---

differentiation British  

/ ˌdɪfəˌrɛnʃɪˈeɪʃən /

noun

1. the act, process, or result of differentiating

2. maths an operation used in calculus in which the derivative of a function or variable is determined; the inverse of integration See integration

3. any process in which a mixture of materials separates out partially or completely into its constituent parts, as in the cooling and solidification of a magma into two or more different rock types or in the gradual separation of an originally homogeneous earth into crust, mantle, and core

---

differentiation Scientific  

/ dĭf′ə-rĕn′shē-ā′shən /

1. In calculus, the process of computing the derivative of a function.

2. Compare integration

3. The process by which cells or parts of an organism change during development to serve a specific function. The cells of an animal in its early embryonic phase, for example, are identical at first but develop by differentiation into specific tissues, such as bone, heart muscle, and skin. The factors determining the differentiation of any particular cell are not well understood, but in deuterostomes (vertebrates and other complex animals) they include the location of the cell relative to other cells.

---

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• differentiations
  plural

---

Etymology

Origin of differentiation

First recorded in 1800–10; differentiat(e) + -ion

---

Explanation

Differentiation is how someone or something is set apart from others. If you make a differentiation between one brand of toothpaste and another, you point out how they're distinct. You can see the word different in differentiation. The -tion ending tips you off that differentiation is the noun form of different: differentiation refers to the differences themselves. Suppose two very similar movies come out at the same time. The studios will work to achieve differentiation in the films' trailers, with one highlighting the chemistry between the romantic leads and the other showing moments of slap-stick comedy.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

differentiation differentiations

The first is commoditization: "the degree of differentiation among advanced AI models may narrow," the company warns.

From Barron's ● Oct. 28, 2026

They develop from immature precursor cells through a process called adipogenesis, or fat cell differentiation.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 24, 2026

Ludovic de Fombelle, a French dealer, said the company needs that kind of differentiation in what it sells.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 18, 2026

Wei added that this was supported by a differentiation in technology products and a broader customer base.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 15, 2026

There was frequently some element of truth in these essential lines of differentiation.

From "The Boys in the Boat: Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics" by Daniel James Brown

Unless, we should say, those differentiations are superpowers, as they’re presented in “The Pradeeps of Pittsburgh.”

From Salon ● Oct. 17, 2024

"But for platforms that mix own offerings and third-party offerings, they should consider - from a trade mark perspective - whether they want to create a different look and feel, or other clear differentiations."

From BBC ● Dec. 22, 2022

As I walk, I admire the shifting light illuminating the gradients of the canyon’s opposite walls — differentiations that make manifest time itself, according to the geology museum I discover farther along at Yavapai Point.

From New York Times ● May 12, 2022

But he was swamped with questions about how an officer might make such differentiations.

From Washington Post ● Feb. 24, 2021

Life becomes conscious of itself through specialized cellular activity, and human personality, therefore, can only be a unity of greater differentiations of function, a higher and fuller incarnation than the single cell incarnation.

From The "Genius" by Theodore Dreiser

Random Word

Spin the wheel and learn a new word!

---