as in to distinguish
to understand or point out the difference in
it was hard at first to differentiate between the two styles of music
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Recent Examples of differentiate
What makes this such a differentiating factor is that many of the tiny parts inside the food, like vitamins and natural nutrients, don’t get broken down as much in this process.
—
Lyssanoel Frater, USA Today, 17 Feb. 2026
In that agentic world, the experience delivered to the user will differentiate every provider.
—Brad Anderson, Fortune, 17 Feb. 2026
The naming even extended to beach and pool towels that my mom would embroider with labels like Sandy Feet, Zinnias, or Golden Hour to help everyone differentiate their towel.
—Cameron Beall, Southern Living, 14 Feb. 2026
Johnson insisted Legacy differentiate itself by leaving a different impression.
—Jordan Bianchi, New York Times, 12 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for differentiate
Lyssanoel Frater, USA Today, 17 Feb. 2026
In that agentic world, the experience delivered to the user will differentiate every provider.
—Brad Anderson, Fortune, 17 Feb. 2026
The naming even extended to beach and pool towels that my mom would embroider with labels like Sandy Feet, Zinnias, or Golden Hour to help everyone differentiate their towel.
—Cameron Beall, Southern Living, 14 Feb. 2026
Johnson insisted Legacy differentiate itself by leaving a different impression.
—Jordan Bianchi, New York Times, 12 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for differentiate
Recent Examples of Synonyms for differentiate
Verb
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Shaq — who, in 2023, arguably gave the worst performance in the long and distinguished history of the Outside Lands music festival — will once again be performing under the stage name DJ Diesel.—
Jim Harrington,
Mercury News,
16 Feb. 2026
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Developed by Van Oossanen Naval Architects and designed by Omega Architects, the all-aluminum cruiser was distinguished by a fast-displacement hull and a vertical stem (or plumb bow) that notched her multiple prestigious awards and inspired an entire Heesen series of 164-foot fast-cruisers.—
Rachel Cormack,
Robb Report,
16 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Some scholars suspect that his race was deliberately kept vague and note that, at the time, even those from other European countries like Italy or Spain would have been discriminated against by Brits.—
Ellise Shafer,
Variety,
13 Feb. 2026
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Writers nominated restaurants from across the country, and a team of editors with discriminating taste whittled them down to 39.—
Liz Johnson,
USA Today,
11 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Differentiate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/differentiate. Accessed 21 Feb. 2026.
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