differentiate

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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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 With that being the case, the letters B, C and D can be hard to differentiate. — Janet Carson, Arkansas Online, "Zooming our way through life!," 19 Jan. 2021 That lofty new status, Alworth says, came with new pressures to differentiate literature from the visual arts, with each becoming its own distinct and separate sphere. — Washington Post, "Illustrated novels have a vibrant history. A rich new era may be upon us.," 22 Dec. 2020 The next episode will be from the perspective of Jules (Hunter Schafer), and creator Sam Levinson will probably follow a similar non-traditional format in order to differentiate these from the forthcoming season 2 sometime in 2021. — Natalie Morin, refinery29.com, "After Euphoria‘s Emotional Rue Episode, When Are We Getting Jules’ Special?," 7 Dec. 2020 Without patterns of spots or stripes to differentiate between bears, the A.I. had to use other characteristics like the proximity between its eyes, nose, ears and forehead top to match a bear’s face with a name. — Theresa Machemer, Smithsonian Magazine, "New A.I. Offers Facial Recognition for Grizzly Bears," 12 Nov. 2020 The stakes are heightened further by Mr. Biden’s pledge to differentiate his administration from Mr. Trump’s, in which representatives from corporate America and Wall Street held prominent posts, and conflicts of interest abounded. — Eric Lipton, New York Times, "Progressives Press Biden to Limit Corporate Influence in Administration," 12 Nov. 2020 Using the traditional academic definition to differentiate the two types of stock—value stocks have low price-to-book-value ratios, growth stocks have high ones—value has lagged behind growth for nearly 14 years. — Mark Hulbert, WSJ, "Value Stocks May Have Done a Lot Better Than You Think," 7 Nov. 2020 Here's a look at how to differentiate the two viruses. — Ashley Shaffer, USA TODAY, "The one with the vaccines," 14 Oct. 2020 Ohio State did not differentiate between those players out for positive COVID-19 tests or contact tracing and which ones might be dealing with other injuries. — Nathan Baird, cleveland, "Ohio State football’s Wyatt Davis on his knee injury: “I will be playing this week ... without a doubt”," 9 Dec. 2020

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.