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.

Keep Reading on Vocabulary.com

Vocabulary lists containing distinguish

Jim Burke's Academic Vocabulary List

Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!

Vocabulary of the Common Core

Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!

TEKS ELAR Academic Vocabulary List (5th-7th grades)

Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!

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

At a Stanford sleep lab, she found that wearables can struggle to distinguish between different sleep stages because they can’t read brain waves.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 6, 2026

But her lawyer argues she was suffering from postpartum psychosis at the time, and could not distinguish right from wrong.

From BBC ● Sep. 4, 2026

Researchers also use sophisticated computational techniques to distinguish different kinds of particle interactions and reject events that imitate the signatures expected from dark matter.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 4, 2026

Evidence of a connection has remained elusive however, as El Niño is notoriously variable, making it difficult to distinguish long-term changes from its natural ebb and flow.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 4, 2026

In the very beginning of mathematics, it seems that people could only distinguish between one and many.

From "Zero: The Biography of a Dangerous Idea" by Charles Seife

“The ability to imagine a different world is what distinguishes the leaders of any social movement,” Linda Greenhouse once wrote of Ginsburg.

From Slate ● Aug. 3, 2026

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

From Salon ● Aug. 1, 2026

Like: “I noticed the posted range is fairly broad. Could you help me understand what distinguishes someone at the bottom of it from someone at the top?”

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 22, 2026

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

From Science Daily ● Jul. 16, 2026

Nevertheless, Quintilian carefully distinguishes between what he terms ‘technical’ and ‘non-technical’ proofs.

From "The Invention of Science" by David Wootton

Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts, who serves as the Smithsonian Chancellor, hailed his "distinguished service," adding: "Secretary Bunch has pursued excellence in the telling of our nation's story."

From Barron's ● Sep. 8, 2026

"President Samia has lost a lifelong companion, her children a beloved father, and Tanzania a distinguished son," he wrote on social media.

From BBC ● Sep. 7, 2026

That was the main differential, according to him, that distinguished these two cases.

From Slate ● Aug. 31, 2026

Mr. Scott, who has distinguished himself in such shows as “Severance” and, much earlier, “Parks and Recreation,” has been handed an awkwardly written part.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 28, 2026

“He is an older gentleman, very distinguished and charming, if I do say so. Perhaps your husband knew him? I expect they would have been about the same age.”

From "The Unseen Guest" by Maryrose Wood

The EV’s most distinguishing feature is its mouthless face that, needing to admit less cooling airflow, omits an upper grille opening.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 5, 2026

French Senators had opted for a two-tier system distinguishing between blacklisted platforms flagged as harmful to a child's development, and those that could still be accessed with parental consent.

From Barron's ● Jul. 21, 2026

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

Identifying species correctly, determining whether the caregiving individual is male or female, and distinguishing true parental care from similar behaviors such as mate guarding all require specialized expertise.

From Science Daily ● Jul. 12, 2026

Bullhead’s distinguishing civic feature is the Mohave Valley Highway, four lanes of asphalt lined with gas stations and fast-food franchises, chiropractors and video shops, auto-parts outlets and tourist traps.

From "Into the Wild" by Jon Krakauer

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