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Synonyms

distinguish

American

[dih-sting-gwish] / dɪˈstɪŋ gwɪʃ /

verb (used with object)

to mark off as different (often followed by from orby ).

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.

Antonyms:

confuse
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 bybetween ).
to recognize or note differences; discriminate.

distinguish British

/ dɪˈstɪŋɡwɪʃ /

verb

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) noteworthy

he distinguished himself by his cowardice
to classify; categorize

we distinguished three species

"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

Synonym Usage

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.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

Inflected Forms

Participles

Conjugated Forms

Present

Past

Future

Etymology

Origin of distinguish

First recorded in 1555–65; extension, by -ish ², of Middle English disting(u)en (from Anglo-French, Middle French distinguer ), from Latin distinguere; see distinct

Explanation

To distinguish means to tell apart. If you win the lottery, you’re going to need to learn to distinguish between people who really like you and people who like your money. To distinguish is to discern, which means to perceive or recognize the way something differs from what’s around it. It takes discerning taste buds to distinguish between Coke and Pepsi. Distinguish also means to separate yourself out from the pack, usually in a good way. You might distinguish yourself at a Comics Convention with your encyclopedic knowledge of Krazy Kat.

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Vocabulary lists containing distinguish

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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.

See Examples For:

distinguish distinguishes distinguished distinguishing

Europe's governments, for the most part, have been careful to distinguish between looters and rioters on the one hand, and loud but peaceful, legally organised demonstrations on the other.

From BBC ● Oct. 29, 2026

How do banks distinguish between transactional points “gamers” and just highly engaged cardholders and brand advocates?

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 26, 2026

The researchers then used machine learning, a form of artificial intelligence that identifies patterns in complex data, to determine whether these antibody signatures could distinguish people who would eventually develop IBD from healthy individuals.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 24, 2026

Wisconsin’s data does not distinguish ballots sent by mail from those cast in drop boxes or in person, making it impossible to definitively measure rejection rates just for ballots returned by mail.

From Salon ● Oct. 24, 2026

Glancing at the bookcases, I thought I could distinguish the two volumes of Bewick’s British Birds occupying their old place on the third shelf, and Gulliver’s Travels and the Arabian Nights ranged just above.

From "Jane Eyre" by Charlotte Brontë

What distinguishes MeRT is its use of an AI-assisted algorithm to customize stimulation protocols based on each patient's brain activity rather than relying on a standardized approach.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 23, 2026

In an article, they note that the definition used in the measure hews closely to another section of California law, which distinguishes providing internet services from offering content, services and applications online.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 14, 2026

“CoreWeave has established a reputation for reliability and performance that distinguishes it from peers,” Keirstead added.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 23, 2026

"There's nothing that distinguishes them from other bees really, they're not that kind of attention-grabbing species, but, you know, were you to look for them, go to ivy and you'll see them," Benwell said.

From BBC ● Sep. 19, 2026

Is there a simple rule of thumb that distinguishes a group with real social authority from a group with little power at all?

From "The Tipping Point" by Malcolm Gladwell

To explain the problem, Blake Temple, the study's corresponding author and a distinguished professor emeritus of mathematics at UC Davis, offered a simple comparison: a pencil balanced vertically on its tip.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 29, 2026

The interiors are distinguished by polished marble flooring featuring dramatic gold and gray veining, bringing a distinctive design element to the contemporary residence.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 29, 2026

It soon distinguished itself as a top-of-line competitor in aircraft aerobatics because of its impressive ability to execute daring rolls, spins, loops and dives.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 28, 2026

A government spokesperson said Sir Olly "had a distinguished public service career over three decades".

From BBC ● Oct. 16, 2026

However, the age and gender of victims were not easily distinguished by their scalps.

From "An Indigenous People’s History of the United States" by Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz

Wearing drill-sergeant regalia, Porowski instructs a group of hapless male shopper actors in such supermarket fundamentals as distinguishing celery from leeks, checking expiration dates and identifying ripe bananas.

From Salon ● Oct. 25, 2026

The 6 acres of conservation land help preserve the wooded setting around the home, distinguishing it from luxury properties where neighboring development could eventually alter the surrounding views and sense of seclusion.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 19, 2026

Even more surprisingly, the brain cells became better at distinguishing these unusual tones as the experiment continued.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 15, 2026

Hannah Grossman, co-director of High Desert Test Sites, sees Albuquerque’s physical engagement with the landscape as a distinguishing feature of her practice.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 13, 2026

It is true that our color was not our distinguishing feature there, so much as the American- ness represented in our poor handle on French.

From "Between the World and Me" by Ta-Nehisi Coates

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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023