distinctive

American  

[dih-stingk-tiv] / dɪˈstɪŋk tɪv /

adjective

1. serving to distinguish; characteristic; distinguishing: distinguishing.

   the distinctive stripes of the zebra.

   Synonyms:

   individual

2. having a special quality, style, attractiveness, etc.; notable.

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distinctive British  

/ dɪˈstɪŋktɪv /

adjective

1. serving or tending to distinguish

2. denoting one of a set of minimal features of a phoneme in a given language that serve to distinguish it from other phonemes. The distinctive features of /p/ in English are that it is voiceless, bilabial, non-nasal, and plosive; /b/ is voiced, bilabial, non-nasal, and plosive: the two differ by the distinctive feature of voice

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Other Word Forms

• distinctively adverb
• distinctiveness noun
• subdistinctive adjective
• subdistinctively adverb
• subdistinctiveness noun

Etymology

Origin of distinctive

First recorded in 1575–85; from Medieval Latin distinctīvus; equivalent to distinct + -ive

Example Sentences

He is described as being of large build, with scarring on the back of his head and a distinctive tattoo on the left side of his chest.

From BBC

The Clinton administration offered Russia a distinctive partnership with NATO, hoping to give Moscow a stake in the trans-Atlantic order.

From The Wall Street Journal

Despite the symmetry of these four figures, the overall composition is asymmetrical, with a single, distinctive and highly ornamented column appearing on the left side, next to Joseph.

From The Wall Street Journal

She told him his work was distinctive, different - and he held on to that to the end of his days.

From BBC

In her own way – with a mixture of sass, fun and her distinctive cup of ambition – Dolly Parton asks us to do the same.

From Salon

Related Words

• cool
• extraordinary
• idiosyncratic
• offbeat
• original
• peculiar
• singular
• special
• weird