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 \ -ˌren(t)-sh(ē-)ə-ˈbi-lə-tē

\ noun

differentiable \ -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

An all-new flagship lineup Screen size isn't the only way Samsung is differentiating the three phones. — Michael Simon, PCWorld, "Samsung Galaxy S10 renders show hole-punch camera, headphone jack, and no fingerprint sensor," 13 Dec. 2018 That’s really important for a game like this where the characters are all fundamentally controlled the same way, and don’t have move sets to differentiate them like, say, the cast of Street Fighter. — Michael Moore, The Verge, "Lethal League Blaze turns handball into a stylish fighting game," 9 Dec. 2018 One update that absolutely differentiates Smash Ultimate from Smash 4 has not been lost on pro players: an improved suite of dash options, which now includes directional air-dodging and dash-canceling. — Sam Machkovech, Ars Technica, "Smash Bros. Ultimate review: The best fighting game on any Nintendo system," 6 Dec. 2018 Today, startups trying to differentiate themselves from the pack are pushing into groovier (though still highly legible) territory. — Eliza Brooke, Vox, "How the Great Recession influenced a decade of design," 27 Dec. 2018 To keep customers from defecting to rivals, some are attaching other travel services to their own in order to differentiate themselves. — The Economist, "European state rail firms face scrappy new competitors," 28 June 2018 Our tech and telecom companies are signing content deals as a means of differentiating themselves. — Jacob Feldman, SI.com, "Inside Australia's World Cup 2018 Streaming Fail and What It Means for the U.S.," 21 June 2018 For much of Don junior's life, the hunter's camo he's worn has helped him not to disappear but to stand out, to differentiate himself from his father, the real estate tycoon who never understood his son's fascination with the outdoors. — Julia Ioffe, GQ, "The Real Story of Donald Trump Jr.," 21 June 2018 Unfortunately, the hate Monty received on the show also transferred to Granaderos off-screen, as fans struggled to differentiate him from his character. — refinery29.com, "13 Reasons Why’s Season 2 Villain Actually Handled The Backlash Very Well, Thank You," 10 June 2018

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.