distinctive
Americanadjective
-
serving to distinguish; characteristic; distinguishing.
the distinctive stripes of the zebra.
- Synonyms:
- individual
-
having a special quality, style, attractiveness, etc.; notable.
adjective
-
serving or tending to distinguish
-
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
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
Explanation
Her big eyes and plump lips are distinctive features that make her a great model. These are just some of the special features that distinguish her. You might recognize the Latin prefix dis in the adjective distinctive. Dis often means "apart" or "away." Think of this when trying to remember the word distinctive. Someone with distinctive features has features that set them "apart" from others. Yes, its stepped-back architecture and distinctive spire are among the Empire State Building's distinctive features, but its most distinctive feature has to be its height: for decades there wasn't another building in New York that came close!
Vocabulary lists containing distinctive
The Giver
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Walk Two Moons
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The Breadwinner
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
BlackBerry has benefited from splitting into two distinctive divisions under Giamatteo, who has served as CEO since 2023.
From Barron's • Apr. 9, 2026
"Traci has carved out a distinctive niche by leading with professionalism, precision and purpose," says Holloway.
From BBC • Apr. 8, 2026
The Cinerama Dome originally opened in 1963 with its white tiled design and distinctive marquee.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 6, 2026
For more than 25 years, under the name Harriet Tubman, Messrs. Ross, Gibbs and Lewis have crafted a gorgeous balance of bombast and repose, and a distinctive approach to trio interplay.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 4, 2026
Maddie could hear the one lad’s distinctive nasal whinny even after his back had become anonymous.
From "Code Name Verity" by Elizabeth Wein
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
