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

Jim Burke's Academic Vocabulary List

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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

Recently, Spotify added a verification badge to distinguish human artists from AI, and Tidal banned AI-generated music from receiving royalties on its platform.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 30, 2026

“Investors should distinguish between a long-term increase in Chinese technological competitiveness and an immediate threat to the earnings power of leading U.S. semiconductor companies,” Jablonski said in emailed comments to MarketWatch.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 28, 2026

But his attempts to distinguish them read as special pleading.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 26, 2026

That capability may prove especially valuable when planets are hidden by bright debris disks or other structures that make them difficult to distinguish in ordinary telescope images.

From Science Daily ● Jul. 23, 2026

Clare scoured the room for the badger, but with the candles and hearth fire still snuffed, his eye struggled to distinguish shape from shadow.

From "The Undead Fox of Deadwood Forest" by Aubrey Hartman

It is the only book with language that distinguishes which purchases fund FLAG’s mission or pay Adams directly.

From Salon ● Aug. 1, 2026

What distinguishes “With the Old Breed” from many other war memoirs is its focus on moral courage.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 21, 2026

Their goal was to help clarify what distinguishes bio-metals from other natural materials.

From Science Daily ● Jul. 16, 2026

It distinguishes Marvell from companies that may have seen explosive increases in their market caps over a short span but that might struggle to maintain those levels in a normalized environment.

From MarketWatch ● Jun. 4, 2026

Nevertheless, one of the attributes that distinguishes great artists is their consummate technical command.

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

The glittering star of the gala was former New York Gov. Al Smith, who had thrown in his lot with the plutocrats after a distinguished career as an icon of progressive Democratic politics.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 29, 2026

He has also distinguished between ongoing inflation and one-time price increases caused by supply constraints.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 28, 2026

FDEs may not be the answer for all enterprise AI woes, according to Arun Chandrasekaran, Gartner distinguished VP analyst.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 22, 2026

Mr. Argue applies the same brilliant synthesis of influences and mastery of several musical idioms that has distinguished his own magnificent 18-piece Secret Society ensemble, but here carrying a less urgent, more subdued feel.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 11, 2026

The possibility of being distinguished by her notice did not enter John’s mind, and so he simply stared at her.

From "Go Tell It on the Mountain" by James Baldwin

First, practice distinguishing between what the Constitution says and what judges and justices say about the Constitution, a document riddled with aspirational vagaries and flexible abstractions.

From Slate ● Jul. 20, 2026

"Bristle worm jaws also showed size-dependent elasticity. This is a distinguishing feature of bio-metals when compared to standard crystalline metals like copper or silver," said author Christian Hellmich.

From Science Daily ● Jul. 16, 2026

Inspecting roofs, especially distinguishing between wind and hail damage, involves a certain degree of subjective judgment.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 10, 2026

We then used artificial intelligence to classify each document match, distinguishing meaningful contact with Epstein from accidental mentions.

From Salon ● Jun. 20, 2026

To the civil enquiries which then poured in, and amongst which she had the pleasure of distinguishing the much superior solicitude of Mr. Bingley’s, she could not make a very favourable answer.

From "Pride and Prejudice" by Jane Austen

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