distinguishing

American  

[dih-sting-gwi-shing] / dɪˈstɪŋ gwɪ ʃɪŋ /

adjective

1. distinctive; characteristic, as a definitive feature of an individual or group.

   Intricate rhyming is a distinguishing feature of her poetry.

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Other Word Forms

• distinguishingly
  adverb
• nondistinguishing
  adjective
• self-distinguishing
  adjective
• undistinguishing
  adjective
• undistinguishingly
  adverb

Etymology

Origin of distinguishing

First recorded in 1660–70; distinguish + -ing ²

Example Sentences

Many users were critical of the company’s delay in labeling and distinguishing computer-generated sounds from those of real artists.

From Los Angeles Times • May 1, 2026

X-Energy has early commercial agreements with Amazon and Dow, distinguishing it from competitors.

From Barron's • Apr. 24, 2026

You’re kind of distinguishing her from what we now think of as YA, “Young Adult.”

From Slate • Apr. 18, 2026

The only distinguishing features were a few hurried strips of grilled chicken and a light dusting of Tony Chachere’s — not stirred into the sauce, mind you, but sprinkled on top, like an afterthought.

From Salon • Apr. 7, 2026

Hume, in distinguishing relations of ideas from matters of fact, is recapitulating the fundamental intellectual conflict which gave rise to the Scientific Revolution.

From "The Invention of Science" by David Wootton