differential

adjective dif·fer·en·tial \ ˌdi-fə-ˈren(t)-shəl \

|Updated on: 30 Jul 2018

Examples: differential in a Sentence

Definition of differential

1 a : of, relating to, or constituting a difference : distinguishing

differential characteristics

b : making a distinction between individuals or classes

differential tax rates

c : based on or resulting from a differential

d : functioning or proceeding differently or at a different rate

differential melting

2 mathematics : being, relating to, or involving a differential (see ²differential 1) or differentiation

3 physics

a : relating to quantitative differences (as of motion or pressure)

b : producing effects by reason of quantitative differences

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differentially

play \-ˈren(t)-shə-lē\ adverb

See differential defined for English-language learners

See differential defined for kids

Examples of differential in a Sentence

did away with differential pay scales for men and women doing the same work

Recent Examples of differential from the Web

Even if Denmark were to lose, Australia would need to win and make up a goal-differential edge of three in order to unseat Christian Eriksen & Co. for second place.

— charlotte carroll, SI.com, "How to Watch Denmark vs. France: World Cup Live Stream, TV Channel," 26 June 2018
That's very differential than the attacks on Melania Trump reading a book to kids, English is her fifth language.

— Fox News, "Gorka: Instead of learning from 2016, the press doubled down," 6 Apr. 2018
With regard to the testing for discrimination against persons with disabilities, three of the 20 tests, or 15 percent, showed differential treatment against the person and his or her need of a reasonable accommodation.

— dwight adams, Indianapolis Star, "'Significant' housing discrimination found in Marion County, study says," 5 Apr. 2018
Suddenly, both Dre and Bow are confronted with their own double standards about the differential treatment of their son and daughter.

— refinery29.com, "Black-ish Went To The Sunken Place Last Night For A Different Reason," 14 Mar. 2018
Consumers intuitively understand differential pricing.

— john rennie short, Smithsonian, "Should U.S. Cities Use Congestion Pricing To Ease Traffic?," 8 Feb. 2018
The priorities most frequently mentioned were higher pay for officers to help the city solve a recruiting and retention crisis, and a commitment to addressing differential treatment of minorities by police identified in a San Diego State survey.

— david garrick, sandiegouniontribune.com, "San Diegans want new police chief to focus on pay, racial profiling, transparency," 14 Oct. 2017
In reality, trade deficits with other countries reflect a mix of relative growth rates, differential production advantages, supply chains, savings and investment, and currency exchange rates.

— robert b. zoellick, WSJ, "Trump’s Looming Trade Crack-Up," 5 Sep. 2017
Wired recently deployed a team of experts to deconstruct Apple's code and found its differential privacy practices to be lacking, a characterization that the company strongly disputes.

— john patrick pullen, Time, "Forget the iPhone X, Apple's Best Product Is Something You Can't Buy," 27 Oct. 2017

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

Origin and Etymology of differential

borrowed from Medieval Latin differentiālis, from Latin differentia ¹difference + -ālis ¹-al

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1615

in the meaning defined at sense 1a

See Words from the same year

differential Synonyms

differential

noun

Definition of differential

1 mathematics

a : the product (see product 1) of the derivative of a function of one variable by the increment of the independent variable

b : a sum of products in which each product consists of a partial derivative of a given function of several variables multiplied by the corresponding increment and which contains as many products as there are independent variables in the function

2 : a difference between comparable individuals or classes

a price differential

; also : the amount of such a difference

3 a : a drivetrain gear assembly connecting two collinear shafts or axles (such as those of the rear wheels of an automobile) and permitting one shaft to revolve faster than the other

a locking rear differential

b : a case covering such an assembly

See differential defined for English-language learners

Recent Examples of differential from the Web

The price differential is between .30 to .90 cents more for the cheese version.

— howard cohen, miamiherald, "McDonald's wants 'nonsense' cheese lawsuit dismissed. It would create 'utter chaos,' lawyer says," 5 July 2018
The average differential in those nine championship games was 24.3 points.

— rick o'brien, Philly.com, "PIAA needs to change its playoff model, at least in basketball and football | Rick O'Brien," 5 May 2018
Ohtani’s 10-mph differential between his fastball and splitter is similar to the difference between Lincecum’s pitches: mid-90s fastball and mid-80s change.

— john shea, San Francisco Chronicle, "Is Shohei Ohtani the new Freak? Like Tim Lincecum, he’s must-see theater," 10 Apr. 2018
The gender wage gap also remains stark, though among women, the differential between rich and poor was smaller than among men.

— josh eidelson, Bloomberg.com, "U.S. Income Inequality Hits a Disturbing New Threshold," 1 Mar. 2018
The authors track the differential in values, between 1971 and 2017, of properties at different levels of elevation and risk from sea-level rise (based on data from the U.S. Geological Survey), while controlling for other factors.

— richard florida, WIRED, "Climate Change Will Force the Poor From Their Homes," 13 July 2018
Underneath, Land Rover’s unique full-time four-wheel-drive system has been augmented by locking differentials, front and rear.

— wes siler, Outside Online, "This Old Land Rover Is the Best Road-Trip Truck," 1 July 2018
When the pavement ends, the Kona is more capable of light off-roading thanks to a locking center differential, which helps improve traction.

— mark takahashi, edmunds, USA TODAY, "Edmunds compares subcompact crossover SUVs Hyundai Kona and Ford EcoSport," 29 June 2018
Japan and Senegal ended up tied for second in points, goal differential, goals for and goals against.

— pete grathoff, kansascity, "The end of Japan's World Cup game was straight out of 'The Simpsons'," 28 June 2018

Origin and Etymology of differential

noun derivative of ¹differential

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1871

in the meaning defined at sense 1a

See Words from the same year

Other Mechanical Engineering Terms

centrifuge, flange, lathe, linchpin, pinion, plenum, ratchet, traction

DIFFERENTIAL Defined for English Language Learners

differential

adjective

Definition of differential for English Language Learners

: relating to or based on a difference : treating some people or groups differently from others

differential

noun

Definition of differential for English Language Learners

: a difference between people or things
: a gear or an arrangement of gears in a vehicle that allows one wheel to turn faster than another when the vehicle is going around a curve