distinction

American  

[dih-stingk-shuhn] / dɪˈstɪŋk ʃən /

noun

distinctions plural

1. a marking off or distinguishing as different.

   His distinction of sounds is excellent.

2. the recognizing or noting of differences; discrimination.

   to make a distinction between right and wrong.

3. a discrimination made between things as different; special regard or favoritism.

   Death comes to all without distinction.

4. condition of being different; difference.

   There is a distinction between what he says and what he does.

   Antonyms:

   resemblance

5. a distinguishing quality or characteristic.

   It has the distinction of being the oldest house in the town.

6. a distinguishing or treating with special honor, attention, or favor.

7. an act of bestowing, or a mark of, honor or favor.

8. marked superiority; note; eminence.

   Synonyms:

   importance, renown

9. distinguished appearance.

10. Obsolete. division; separation.

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distinction British  

/ dɪˈstɪŋkʃən /

noun

1. the act or an instance of distinguishing or differentiating

2. a distinguishing feature

3. the state of being different or distinguishable

4. special honour, recognition, or fame

5. excellence of character; distinctive qualities

   a man of distinction

6. distinguished appearance

7. a symbol of honour or rank

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Synonym Usage

Distinction and difference may both refer to perceivable dissimilarities and, in this meaning, may be used interchangeably: There is a distinction ( difference ) between the two. Distinction, however, usually suggests the perception of dissimilarity, as the result of analysis and discrimination: a carefully made distinction between two treatments of the same theme; whereas difference refers only to the condition of being dissimilar: the difference between Gothic and Roman architecture. “A distinction without a difference” is a way of referring to an artificial or false discrimination. See honor.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• subdistinction
  noun
• underdistinction
  noun
• distinctionless
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• distinctions
  plural

Etymology

Origin of distinction

First recorded in 1175–1225; Middle English distinccioun, from Anglo-French, from Latin distinctiōn-, stem of distinctiō “difference”; equivalent to distinct + -ion

Explanation

When you are marked for distinction, it means you are someone who is going to do well in life. You will set yourself apart from others. Distinction means being set apart, often by excellence. When things are distinct from one another, they are different. It is the distinctions that make them this way. In your school, an outside observer might at first be unable to see the distinctions among the kids, but with a little time they'll be able to see how kids are identified and associated with their peculiar qualities.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

distinction distinctions

That distinction could make it a more precise tool for controlling appetite and body weight.

From Science Daily ● Jul. 24, 2026

That distinction sits at the heart of new research by Gomez-Cardona and Spencer Look, associate director of retirement studies at the Morningstar Center for Retirement and Policy Studies.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 24, 2026

“The overwhelming majority of our employees serve our communities with integrity, professionalism, and distinction every day, and they deserve to work alongside individuals who uphold those same standards,” the statement read.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 20, 2026

Michigan, or the titanic struggle of Joey Chestnut vs. a hot dog, the distinction of greatest rivalry in sports belongs to a showdown that isn’t such a regular fixture on the calendar.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 14, 2026

Apparently, people of the Old Stone Age made no clear distinction between image and reality.

From "History of Art, Volume 1" by H.W. Janson

Sexual equality requires the acknowledgment and maintenance of certain distinctions between men and women.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 24, 2026

Hemani’s answer is that constitutional rights cannot turn on analogies that survive only because the categories have been defined so broadly that the distinctions disappear.

From Slate ● Jun. 26, 2026

In one of its many distinctions from other festivals, Ojai stays fresh by yearly changing music directors and for its 80th anniversary Esa-Pekka Salonen returned after a quarter-century absence.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 23, 2026

Critics of the change say this risks flattening meaningful distinctions between religious identities, particularly for service members whose beliefs do not fall neatly into major denominational groupings.

From Salon ● Jun. 6, 2026

Examples include the rules that govern punctuation, complex forms of agreement, and fine semantic distinctions between uncommon words like militate and mitigate and credible and credulous.

From "The Sense of Style" by Steven Pinker

Related Words

• characteristic
• contrast
• difference
• differentiation
• discrepancy
• discrimination
• divergence
• division
• judgment
• nicety
• perception
• quality
• sensitivity
• separation