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
Though archaeologists have proposed various theories, the differential treatment of his burial suggests the tragedy potentially left a permanent mark on his social status.
—
Maria Mocerino, Interesting Engineering, 14 Dec. 2025
In the 2011 report written before construction of the Porsche Design Tower, Kaderabek engineers made the case for deeper foundations, pointing specifically to the potential risk of differential settlement.
—Denise Hruby, Miami Herald, 1 Dec. 2025
Goals differential isn’t much better – There’s one team in the conference showing double digits on either side of the goals differential column.
—Sean McIndoe, New York Times, 3 Nov. 2025
Convection within the Sun and the differential rotation of the Sun’s surface warp the coronal magnetic field, as do links to the interplanetary field created by the solar wind.
—Literary Hub, 27 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for differential
Maria Mocerino, Interesting Engineering, 14 Dec. 2025
In the 2011 report written before construction of the Porsche Design Tower, Kaderabek engineers made the case for deeper foundations, pointing specifically to the potential risk of differential settlement.
—Denise Hruby, Miami Herald, 1 Dec. 2025
Goals differential isn’t much better – There’s one team in the conference showing double digits on either side of the goals differential column.
—Sean McIndoe, New York Times, 3 Nov. 2025
Convection within the Sun and the differential rotation of the Sun’s surface warp the coronal magnetic field, as do links to the interplanetary field created by the solar wind.
—Literary Hub, 27 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for differential
Recent Examples of Synonyms for differential
Adjective
-
According to a settlement announced Friday between the district and the California Attorney General’s Office, the district’s open enrollment process allegedly gave an advantage to higher income families, creating discriminatory barriers for students from disadvantaged groups.—
Jennah Pendleton,
Sacbee.com,
12 Jan. 2026
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The state ordered the district to provide outside training for all administrators and history teachers to ensure instruction is not discriminatory or antisemitic.—
Molly Gibbs,
Mercury News,
12 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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To make matters worse, charging nonresidents more than residents pay is mean-spirited and unfair.—
U T Readers,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
14 Jan. 2026
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Dungy wrote on social media that the schedule was unfair.—
Ryan Gaydos,
FOXNews.com,
13 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Differential.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/differential. Accessed 21 Jan. 2026.
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