as in characteristic
serving to identify as belonging to an individual or group
a novice birder still learning the distinguishing features of various finches
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in differentiating
to understand or point out the difference in
even at such a young age, he could distinguish the calls of various birds
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in characterizing
to be an important feature of
a collection of recipes distinguished by their ease and simplicity
Synonyms & Similar Words
3
as in identifying
to find out or establish the identity of
learned at an early age to distinguish the sound of a piano in an orchestra
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
as in noticing
to make note of (something) through the use of one's eyes
could barely distinguish the garden gate through the mist
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
5
as in classifying
to arrange or assign according to type
on the exam we were asked to distinguish the specimens by acidity
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of distinguishing
Kurt Snibbe, Oc Register, 7 Nov. 2025
People would devote entire dissertations to developing techniques for distinguishing handwritten digits or for recognizing faces in images; then a deep-learning algorithm would digest the underlying data, discover the subtleties of the problem, and make those projects seem obsolete.
—James Somers, New Yorker, 3 Nov. 2025
As America’s capital of both wine production and pleasant weather, California has any number of towns that capture this experience, each with distinguishing characteristics that suit different types of travelers.
—Justin Goldman, AFAR Media, 24 Oct. 2025
But in a market where definitional confusion obscures risk and competitive tensions drive narratives, distinguishing signal from noise is increasingly critical and difficult.
—Emma Burleigh, Fortune, 20 Oct. 2025
Skye herself has almost no distinguishing characteristics besides her fragile state and propensity for terrible decisions, especially as the investigation around her boyfriend’s death kicks into gear.
—Alison Herman, Variety, 17 Oct. 2025
And investors have a hard time in the middle of this excitement, distinguishing between the good ideas and the bad ideas.
—Arjun Kharpal, CNBC, 3 Oct. 2025
The key is distinguishing between deal-breakers and workable differences.
—Connie Etemadi, USA Today, 2 Oct. 2025
In the current threat environment, the offenders are often not distinguishing.
—Bill Hutchinson, ABC News, 28 Sep. 2025
Verb
Before that time many devices, ornaments and distinguishing marks followed one another as official marks of the Corps.
—Kurt Snibbe, Oc Register, 7 Nov. 2025
People would devote entire dissertations to developing techniques for distinguishing handwritten digits or for recognizing faces in images; then a deep-learning algorithm would digest the underlying data, discover the subtleties of the problem, and make those projects seem obsolete.
—James Somers, New Yorker, 3 Nov. 2025
As America’s capital of both wine production and pleasant weather, California has any number of towns that capture this experience, each with distinguishing characteristics that suit different types of travelers.
—Justin Goldman, AFAR Media, 24 Oct. 2025
But in a market where definitional confusion obscures risk and competitive tensions drive narratives, distinguishing signal from noise is increasingly critical and difficult.
—Emma Burleigh, Fortune, 20 Oct. 2025
Skye herself has almost no distinguishing characteristics besides her fragile state and propensity for terrible decisions, especially as the investigation around her boyfriend’s death kicks into gear.
—Alison Herman, Variety, 17 Oct. 2025
And investors have a hard time in the middle of this excitement, distinguishing between the good ideas and the bad ideas.
—Arjun Kharpal, CNBC, 3 Oct. 2025
The key is distinguishing between deal-breakers and workable differences.
—Connie Etemadi, USA Today, 2 Oct. 2025
In the current threat environment, the offenders are often not distinguishing.
—Bill Hutchinson, ABC News, 28 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for distinguishing
Adjective
-
That characteristic ionization marks a full-fledged planetary nebula.—
Big Think,
Big Think,
3 Nov. 2025
-
This gas then erupts from the shell of the comet, casting off solid dust and growing the halo around a comet, the coma, and its characteristic cometary tail.—
Robert Lea,
Space.com,
31 Oct. 2025
Verb
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In the below interview, Lockhart dives further into differentiating the stories, connecting the dots with very specific references to both books set on Beechwood Island, and where the hope lies in her newest novel, now out in bookstores.—
Dessi Gomez,
Deadline,
4 Nov. 2025
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He was credited with elevating the revenues, profits and image of Macy’s West, successfully differentiating it from regional department store competitors, and evolving Macy’s private labels into private brands, with in-store shops, professional sales associates and full-price marketing.—
David Moin,
Footwear News,
20 Oct. 2025
Verb
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But Rodriguez and Patacsil expressed skepticism about how other members were characterizing that advice.—
Jemma Stephenson,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
18 Oct. 2025
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Tricia McLaughlin, a spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security, condemned the protest, characterizing it as an attempt to obstruct law enforcement operations.—
Billal Rahman,
MSNBC Newsweek,
14 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Alabama has heard the rumors of Oklahoma head coach Brent Venables and his staff being good at identifying signs that opposing offenses use.—
Jordan Sigler,
MSNBC Newsweek,
10 Nov. 2025
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The discovery helped open the door to more recent developments such as tinkering with the genetic makeup of living things, treating disease by inserting genes into patients, identifying human remains and criminal suspects from DNA samples, and tracing family trees and ancient human ancestors.—
Orianna Rosa Royle,
Fortune,
9 Nov. 2025
Verb
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And when his hospital finally reopened, in February of the following year, doctors began noticing unexpected changes.—
Clayton Dalton,
New Yorker,
11 Nov. 2025
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He was parked at a self-service bay of a 24-hour car wash two officers pulled into the West Boise business, detained him and used a drug dog to search his vehicle after noticing his parked vehicle.—
Alex Brizee,
Idaho Statesman,
10 Nov. 2025
Verb
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Related Stories In a nutsell, the test arranged by the cutter’s union documented that AI tools are great for organizing, classifying and summarizing.—
Cynthia Littleton,
Variety,
16 Oct. 2025
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Cal Fire updated Saratoga’s Fire Hazard Severity Zone map in June, classifying some southwestern portions of the city as moderate or high fire hazard zones.—
Nollyanne Delacruz,
Mercury News,
14 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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His legacy is alive and well in the nightclubs of Recife, the capital city, where couples dance to forró’s distinctive ringing of triangles and humming zabumba drum until the early hours.—
Carolina Abbott Galvão,
Travel + Leisure,
5 Nov. 2025
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With 18 patterns in dinner, dessert, and mini sizes, these plates make your holiday table distinctive, sans the post-feast cleanup marathon.—
Lauren Bengtson,
Better Homes & Gardens,
5 Nov. 2025
Verb
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Oxford Forest Conservation Area Another popular South Island star-spotting area is the Oxford Forest Conservation Area, which was designated as a Dark Sky Park in 2024.—
Evie Carrick,
Travel + Leisure,
7 Nov. 2025
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In Ocho Rios, the vast fringing reef shelf has drop-offs on the northern side perfect for spotting diverse soft and hard corals like staghorn, sea fan and brain coral.—
Adrienne Jordan,
USA Today,
6 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Distinguishing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/distinguishing. Accessed 14 Nov. 2025.
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