differentiate

verb

dif·fer·en·ti·ate | \ ˌdi-fə-ˈren(t)-shē-ˌāt

differentiated; differentiating

Definition of differentiate

1 mathematics : to obtain the mathematical derivative (see derivative entry 1 sense 3) of

2 : to mark or show a difference in : constitute a contrasting element that distinguishes features that differentiate the twins how we differentiate ourselves from our competitors

3 : to develop differential or distinguishing characteristics in What differentiated a laborer from another man …— Sherwood Anderson

4 biology : to cause differentiation (see differentiation sense 3b) of in the course of development cells that are differentiated from stem cells

5 : to express the specific distinguishing quality of : discriminate differentiate poetry and prose

intransitive verb

1 : to recognize or give expression to a difference difficult to differentiate between the two

2 : to become distinct or different in character

3 biology : to undergo differentiation (see differentiation sense 3b) when the cells begin to differentiate

Other Words from differentiate Synonyms & Antonyms More Example Sentences Learn More about differentiate

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Other Words from differentiate

differentiability \ ˌdi-fə-ˌren(t)-sh(ē-)ə-ˈbi-lə-tē

\ noun

differentiable \ ˌdi-fə-ˈren(t)-sh(ē-)ə-bəl

\ adjective

Examples of differentiate in a Sentence

The only thing that differentiates the twins is the color of their eyes. it was hard at first to differentiate between the two styles of music

Recent Examples on the Web

The report notes that, based on its programming features, emergency Priority 1 calls are not differentiated from Priority 2 calls (non-emergencies). — cleveland.com, "Serious crime decreases by 32 percent in University Heights," 14 June 2019 Google has made a point in recent years of differentiating the Pixel by sticking with a single rear camera, yet still managing to pull off impressive tricks like portrait mode shots. — Jacob Kastrenakes, The Verge, "Everything we think we know about the Pixel 4, from Google’s Pixel 4 reveal," 13 June 2019 With a large group of candidates, all with broadly similar messages, struggling to break out of the single digits, Biden’s personality-driven, conservative approach appears to differentiate his brand. — Alex Shephard, The New Republic, "Democrats Are Winning the Battle of Ideas, But Could Still Lose the War," 10 June 2019 People who are able to differentiate their negative emotions are better at regulating and managing them, according to science. — Samantha Boardman, Marie Claire, "How to Get Out of a Bad Mood," 28 May 2019 If anything, Su said later, the challenge is to differentiate Threadripper as the core count within the 3rd-gen Ryzen chips continues to climb. — Mark Hachman, PCWorld, "AMD CEO confirms Threadripper is alive, well, and 'moving up'," 26 May 2019 That led to Arc’teryx employees making tools in the woodshop to test product, and then comes the final design—from zipper seams to zipper pulls and hood design to underarm fabrics—all packaged together and differentiated for sizing. — Tim Newcomb, Popular Mechanics, "Everything That Goes Into Making an Arc'teryx Jacket," 24 May 2019 The system helps recognize parts based on rough contours, differentiating a circuit breaker from a motor. — Agam Shah, WSJ, "Factory Workers Become Coders as Companies Automate," 17 May 2019 Other than its longer roofline and additional cargo space, there's nothing to differentiate the Focus ST wagon from the hatch mechanically. — Joey Capparella, Car and Driver, "Take a Good Look at the Ford Focus ST Wagon, Because You Won't Be Able to Buy One," 16 May 2019

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