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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Recent Examples of differential
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
The transfer case is a separate component and is different than differential service.
—John Paul, The Providence Journal, 9 Jan. 2026
The Jets’ 3-14 season that ended Sunday served up new levels of dysfunction — last-place finishes in point differential, turnover differential and yardage differential.
—Tom Krasovic, San Diego Union-Tribune, 6 Jan. 2026
This kind of differential gene expression is central to some of biology’s greatest wonders — for example, the fact that all cells in the human body have the same DNA, and yet brain cells differ dramatically from liver, skin and blood cells.
—Ivan Amato, Quanta Magazine, 22 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for differential
O. Rose Broderick, STAT, 16 Jan. 2026
The transfer case is a separate component and is different than differential service.
—John Paul, The Providence Journal, 9 Jan. 2026
The Jets’ 3-14 season that ended Sunday served up new levels of dysfunction — last-place finishes in point differential, turnover differential and yardage differential.
—Tom Krasovic, San Diego Union-Tribune, 6 Jan. 2026
This kind of differential gene expression is central to some of biology’s greatest wonders — for example, the fact that all cells in the human body have the same DNA, and yet brain cells differ dramatically from liver, skin and blood cells.
—Ivan Amato, Quanta Magazine, 22 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for differential
Recent Examples of Synonyms for differential
Adjective
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These laws open the door to an even wider range of discriminatory policies.—
Noelle Martin,
The Conversation,
1 Mar. 2026
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Black veterans were excluded in practice through segregated colleges, discriminatory banks, redlined housing, and local administration that preserved racial hierarchy.—
Ed Gaskin,
Boston Herald,
1 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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Officially, Buc-ee's is suing IP Holdings for trademark infringement and unfair competition.—
Rhyma Castillo,
San Antonio Express-News,
26 Feb. 2026
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The lawmakers contend the state’s loose regulation of insurer secrecy is unfair to homeowners who are required to purchase insurance to obtain mortgage loans.—
Ron Hurtibise,
Sun Sentinel,
26 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Differential.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/differential. Accessed 4 Mar. 2026.
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