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 So how can fans differentiate a dumb penalty from an aggressive one? — Chris Solari, Detroit Free Press, "How Mel Tucker draws the line on 'dumb' vs. 'aggressive' for Michigan State football," 10 Dec. 2020 So how does this new HBO thing differentiate itself? — Julie Muncy, Wired, "The Last of Us Is Getting a TV Show, Which Seems Redundant," 25 Nov. 2020 For many, Friday’s game will differentiate whether BYU is truly a contender or just a pretender. — Norma Gonzalez, The Salt Lake Tribune, "Eye on the Y: Buckle up. The BYU-Boise State game looks to be a grind.," 5 Nov. 2020 Does the Series X differentiate itself enough to justify the price tag? — Shannon Liao, CNN, "Xbox Series X review: Wait for 'Halo Infinite'," 5 Nov. 2020 Clothes immediately differentiate the rich and poor. — Martha Cheng, WSJ, "Elena Ferrante’s ‘My Brilliant Friend” Is Like a Trip to Naples. Only Better," 25 Sep. 2020 For Christopher Hahn, the host of the Aggressive Progressive Podcast and a former Democratic strategist, Trump's shadow over November plus Biden and Sanders's warmer relationship differentiate this cycle from the past. — Naomi Lim, Washington Examiner, "Four years later, Trump heals rift between establishment Democrats and Sanders base," 15 Aug. 2020 Ohio State does not differentiate between injury, illness, positive test for coronavirus or other reasons on its status report. — Nathan Baird, cleveland, "Which Ohio State players are out against Alabama in the College Football Playoff national championship?," 12 Jan. 2021 The previous definitions, published in April, did not differentiate how to interpret antigen and PCR tests. — Dallas News, "Why doesn’t Texas report probable coronavirus cases?," 10 Nov. 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.