1
as in to differentiate
to understand or point out the difference in
even at such a young age, he could distinguish the calls of various birds
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to characterize
to be an important feature of
a collection of recipes distinguished by their ease and simplicity
Synonyms & Similar Words
3
as in to identify
to find out or establish the identity of
learned at an early age to distinguish the sound of a piano in an orchestra
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
as in to notice
to make note of (something) through the use of one's eyes
could barely distinguish the garden gate through the mist
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
5
as in to classify
to arrange or assign according to type
on the exam we were asked to distinguish the specimens by acidity
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of distinguish
The key is distinguishing between deal-breakers and workable differences.
—
Connie Etemadi, USA Today, 2 Oct. 2025
Yet Poplar Kid’s Republic still had to distinguish itself from the children’s departments found in other large bookstores.
—Literary Hub, 2 Oct. 2025
All three women distinguished themselves.
—Jeffrey Kluger, Time, 1 Oct. 2025
The company’s marketing and its unique voice, Bodner said, still lead its efforts to distinguish itself from its competitors and are central to its comeback.
—Marco Quiroz-Gutierrez, Fortune, 30 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for distinguish
Connie Etemadi, USA Today, 2 Oct. 2025
Yet Poplar Kid’s Republic still had to distinguish itself from the children’s departments found in other large bookstores.
—Literary Hub, 2 Oct. 2025
All three women distinguished themselves.
—Jeffrey Kluger, Time, 1 Oct. 2025
The company’s marketing and its unique voice, Bodner said, still lead its efforts to distinguish itself from its competitors and are central to its comeback.
—Marco Quiroz-Gutierrez, Fortune, 30 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for distinguish
Recent Examples of Synonyms for distinguish
Verb
-
Its figures do not differentiate between civilians and combatants and cannot be independently verified by TIME.—
Callum Sutherland,
Time,
9 Oct. 2025
-
In Israel’s ensuing offensive, more than 67,000 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza and nearly 170,000 wounded during the war, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry, which doesn’t differentiate between civilians and combatants but says around half of the deaths were women and children.—
Dave Smith,
Fortune,
9 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Both sides characterize the conflict as a form of war.—
Shane Croucher,
MSNBC Newsweek,
10 Oct. 2025
-
Roughly halfway through the hour-long debate — largely characterized by frequent interruptions from Earle-Sears — Spanberger criticized Earle-Sears’ history of opposition to LGBTQ+ rights.—
Samantha Riedel,
Them.,
10 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
The body that mysteriously turned up in the landing gear of a plane at Charlotte Douglas International Airport has been identified as a 25-year-old originally from Guatemala, according to investigators.—
Mark Price,
Charlotte Observer,
12 Oct. 2025
-
The essence of impartial justice is treating like conduct alike—not identifying the target and then finding the crime.—
Ruth Marcus,
New Yorker,
12 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Crew aboard the ship noticed that the engine room—a long and narrow chamber—was the weakest, and was where multiple beams buckled under the pressure of the ice.—
Frederick Dreier,
Outside,
7 Oct. 2025
-
Neither that notice nor the agenda for the meeting, posted the day before, gave details about which property the board would be voting on or its intended use.—
Claire Heddles,
Miami Herald,
7 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
What Happens Next FDA inspectors will classify the recall one of three hazard levels, from the lowest risk, Class III, to the highest, Class I.—
News Editor,
MSNBC Newsweek,
8 Oct. 2025
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Dividing her time between London and Los Angeles, Porras-Kim has historically examined the methods institutions use to classify, conserve, and interpret items in their collections, focusing on objects and forms of knowledge that have been separated from their original contexts.—
News Desk,
Artforum,
8 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
The Clooneys are now very discerning about choosing work projects to ensure Alexander and Ella take priority.—
Kayla Grant,
PEOPLE,
6 Oct. 2025
-
Like the two previous installments, on Jeffrey Dahmer and the Menendez brothers, Ed Gein retells in lurid—and largely fantastical—detail the legend of a notorious murderer, with the aim of discerning what our collective obsession with and inevitable misunderstanding of each case says about society.—
Judy Berman,
Time,
6 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
The factors that influence GDP growth are labor and productivity, and the Gulf already has an edge in finding workers — both expats and a young local population.—
Mohammed Sergie,
semafor.com,
9 Oct. 2025
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The team found that actual methane and nitrous oxide emissions from these facilities were far higher than the Environmental Protection Agency’s estimates.—
Neetika Walter,
Interesting Engineering,
9 Oct. 2025
Verb
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With a swath of apps taking betting from the casino to one’s pocket, the industry has captured the interest of Gen Z, who saw a 7% year-over-year increase in online sports betting activity as of 2025’s second quarter, TransUnion found in a report released last month.—
Sasha Rogelberg,
Fortune,
11 Oct. 2025
-
His team sees the deal as a start, not an ending.—
Eric Cortellessa,
Time,
11 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Distinguish.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/distinguish. Accessed 13 Oct. 2025.
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