as in discriminatory
favoring, applying, or being unequal treatment of different classes of people
did away with differential pay scales for men and women doing the same work
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of differential
The differential scanning calorimeter provides high-precision measurements of heat capacity and sample purity.
—
Aman Tripathi, Interesting Engineering, 20 Feb. 2026
If all three sides are 1-1, the tiebreaker will be point differential.
—Steven Louis Goldstein, New York Times, 13 Feb. 2026
With its front and rear differential locks, the beast was ready to drive anywhere.
—New Atlas, 21 Jan. 2026
Zeroing in on this specific type of differential exposure within a family has limits, such as excluding families with a single child.
—O. Rose Broderick, STAT, 16 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for differential
Aman Tripathi, Interesting Engineering, 20 Feb. 2026
If all three sides are 1-1, the tiebreaker will be point differential.
—Steven Louis Goldstein, New York Times, 13 Feb. 2026
With its front and rear differential locks, the beast was ready to drive anywhere.
—New Atlas, 21 Jan. 2026
Zeroing in on this specific type of differential exposure within a family has limits, such as excluding families with a single child.
—O. Rose Broderick, STAT, 16 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for differential
Recent Examples of Synonyms for differential
Adjective
-
Both defendants did not plead guilty to the large in scale or discriminatory allegations made in the indictment.—
Cierra Morgan,
Los Angeles Times,
15 Apr. 2026
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In 1972, the Supreme Court ruled that Georgia’s death penalty as then applied was arbitrary and discriminatory, forcing all states to rewrite their laws and beef up their systems to provide for death row defense lawyers.—
The Week US,
TheWeek,
13 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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Borrowers should also know that the FDCPA provides specific protections against abusive, deceptive or unfair collection practices.—
Angelica Leicht,
CBS News,
23 Apr. 2026
-
Women really get a very, very unfair shake, even in this country [the United States].—
Edward Segarra,
USA Today,
23 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Differential.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/differential. Accessed 25 Apr. 2026.
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