distinguish

[ dih-sting-gwish ]

/ dɪˈstɪŋ gwɪʃ /

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verb (used with object)

to mark off as different (often followed by from or by): He was distinguished from the other boys by his height.

to recognize as distinct or different; recognize the salient or individual features or characteristics of: It is hard to distinguish her from her twin sister.

to perceive clearly by sight or other sense; discern; recognize: He could not distinguish many of the words.

to set apart as different; be a distinctive characteristic of; characterize: It is his Italian accent that distinguishes him.

to make prominent, conspicuous, or eminent: to distinguish oneself in battle.

to divide into classes; classify: Let us distinguish the various types of metaphor.

Archaic. to single out for or honor with special attention.

verb (used without object)

to indicate or show a difference (usually followed by between).

to recognize or note differences; discriminate.

Nearby words

distinctive, distinctive feature, distinctively, distinctiveness ratio, distinctly, distinguish, distinguishable, distinguished, distinguished conduct medal, distinguished flying cross, distinguished service cross

Origin of distinguish

1555–65; extension, by -ish², of Middle English disting(u)en (< Anglo-French, Middle French distinguer) < Latin distinguere; see distinct

ANTONYMS FOR distinguish

2 confuse.

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Related forms

dis·tin·guish·a·ble, adjectivedis·tin·guish·a·ble·ness, dis·tin·guish·a·bil·i·ty, noundis·tin·guish·a·bly, adverbdis·tin·guish·er, noun

dis·tin·guish·ment, nounin·ter·dis·tin·guish, verb (used with object)non·dis·tin·guish·a·ble, adjectivenon·dis·tin·guish·a·ble·ness, nounnon·dis·tin·guish·a·bly, adverbpre·dis·tin·guish, verb (used with object)re·dis·tin·guish, verbun·dis·tin·guish·a·ble, adjective

Synonym study

2. Distinguish, differentiate, discriminate suggest an attempt to analyze characteristic features or qualities of things. To distinguish is to recognize the characteristic features belonging to a thing: to distinguish a light cruiser from a heavy cruiser. To discriminate is to perceive the particular, nice, or exact differences between things, to determine wherein these differences consist, and to estimate their significance: to discriminate prejudiced from unprejudiced testimony. To differentiate is to point out exactly and in detail the differences between (usually) two things: The symptoms of both diseases are so similar that it is hard to differentiate one from another.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for distinguish

The line between being careful about what you eat and being obsessive is difficult to distinguish.
Orthorexia: When Healthy Eating Becomes an Obsession|DailyBurn|October 25, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Food business groups argue that a gram of sugar, natural or added, is a gram of sugar—so why distinguish it?
Guess Who Doesn’t Want You to Know How Much Added Sugar Is in Your Food|Tim Mak|July 19, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Then there was the attempt to distinguish her tax status from those who are “truly well off.”
Hillary’s Doomed if She Can’t Learn to Talk About Her Privilege|Keli Goff|June 27, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Behind-the-scenes technological differences do not distinguish Aereo's system from cable systems, which do perform publicly.
What the Aereo Decision Means for You|Kyle Chayka|June 25, 2014|DAILY BEAST

And how could we distinguish the small exomoon signal from that of its host planet?
Could ‘Star Wars’ Be Right About Habitable Moons?|Matthew R. Francis|May 4, 2014|DAILY BEAST
At first it appeared so totally dark that Ben could not distinguish any object in the room.
Biographical Stories|Nathaniel Hawthorne
Great care must be taken to distinguish between the real wants of the child and its passing whims.
History of Education|Levi Seeley
The long shadow thrown out by his figure, enabled his pursuers to distinguish him very clearly.
A Love Story|A Bushman
They distinguish, however, its character, which will be best seen by comparing it with the elm.
Woodland Gleanings|Charles Tilt
Give an example from your own experience of a case in which it is hard to distinguish between direct and indirect evidence.
The Making of Arguments|J. H. Gardiner

British Dictionary definitions for distinguish

distinguish

/ (dɪˈstɪŋɡwɪʃ) /

verb (mainly tr)

(when intr, foll by between or among) to make, show, or recognize a difference or differences (between or among); differentiate (between)

to be a distinctive feature of; characterize

to make out; perceive

to mark for a special honour or title

to make (oneself) noteworthyhe distinguished himself by his cowardice

to classify; categorizewe distinguished three species

Derived Forms

distinguishable, adjectivedistinguishably, adverbdistinguisher, noundistinguishing, adjective

distinguishingly, adverb

Word Origin for distinguish

C16: from Latin distinguere to separate, discriminate

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012