distinguish

verb

dis·tin·guish di-ˈstiŋ-(g)wish

distinguished; distinguishing; distinguishes

transitive verb

: to perceive a difference in : mentally separate

so alike they could not be distinguished

: to mark as separate or different

a policy that distinguishes him from other candidates

: to separate into kinds, classes, or categories

distinguish words by their part of speech

: to make noteworthy or remarkable : to give prominence or distinction (see distinction sense 4) to

distinguished themselves as pioneers of hip-hop

: characterize

recipes distinguished by simplicity

: discern

distinguished a light in the distance

could barely distinguish them in the fog

: to single out : take special notice of

intransitive verb

: to perceive a difference

distinguish between right and wrong

distinguishability

di-ˌstiŋ-(g)wi-shə-ˈbi-lə-tē

noun

distinguishable

di-ˈstiŋ-(g)wi-shə-bəl

adjective

distinguishably

di-ˈstiŋ-(g)wi-shə-blē

adverb

Example Sentences

You're old enough to distinguish between fact and fantasy. I have trouble distinguishing between the two of them. I have trouble distinguishing the difference between the two of them. You should be able to distinguish fact from fantasy. The only thing that distinguishes the dogs is their bark. The singer's voice is what distinguishes the band. You can't distinguish the detail from this distance. See More

Recent Examples on the Web Commercial lobstermen use bands of colors to distinguish the buoys floating above their traps.

Hannah Beech, New York Times, 26 Nov. 2022 To get a swan tag, Utah hunters are required to take an online course every year to remind them how to distinguish the two swan species at a distance.

Brian Maffly, The Salt Lake Tribune, 23 Nov. 2022 The verification feature is intended to distinguish credible accounts from imposters adopting a similar name and avatar: these can vary from parody or fan accounts to scammers looking for victims on which to prey.

Christiaan Hetzner, Fortune, 31 Oct. 2022 The most extensive coverage of the Hall-Mills affair, though, appeared in the august New York Times—whose publisher, Adolph Ochs, took pains to distinguish its reportage from that of its lower-class rivals.

Tom Nolan, WSJ, 29 Sep. 2022 The researchers are using machine learning technology developed by the radar companies to better distinguish polar bears from other creatures, snowmobiles or other moving objects.

Evan Bush, NBC News, 14 Nov. 2022 The tester liked the deep envelope pocket on the pillowcases to keep longer pillows firmly encased, which made up for the fact that there were no top or bottom labels to distinguish which side was up on the fitted sheet.

Barbara Bellesi Zito, Peoplemag, 14 Nov. 2022 Ribas and his colleagues at PACT Pharma, a South San Francisco biotech company, combined four cutting-edge strategies to distinguish cancer cells from non-cancer cells.

Karen Weintraub, USA TODAY, 11 Nov. 2022 Trying to distinguish one from the other is both futile and pointless.

Vince Aletti, The New Yorker, 11 Nov. 2022 See More

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'distinguish.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Word History

Etymology

alteration of Middle English distinguen, from Anglo-French distinguer, from Latin distinguere, literally, to separate by pricking, from dis- + -stinguere (akin to Latin instigare to urge on) — more at stick

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Time Traveler

The first known use of distinguish was in the 15th century

See more words from the same century