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
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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
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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
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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
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5
as in to classify
to arrange or assign according to type
on the exam we were asked to distinguish the specimens by acidity
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of distinguish
Israel's retaliatory offensive has killed more than 64,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza's Health Ministry, which does not distinguish between civilians and combatants beyond saying that women and children make up around half the dead.
—
Wafaa Shurafa, Arkansas Online, 7 Sep. 2025
This quiz is designed to test your ability to distinguish fact from folklore, data from destiny.
—Kenna Hughes-Castleberry, Space.com, 7 Sep. 2025
El Secreto de Rosita distinguishes itself from nearby competitors by housing Nabiha, a separate restaurant dedicated to serving Palestinian cuisine.
—David Zimmermann, The Washington Examiner, 6 Sep. 2025
To distinguish an Earth-like planet from its star at a distance of roughly 30 light-years, a space telescope must collect light across about 20 meters.
—Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 3 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for distinguish
Wafaa Shurafa, Arkansas Online, 7 Sep. 2025
This quiz is designed to test your ability to distinguish fact from folklore, data from destiny.
—Kenna Hughes-Castleberry, Space.com, 7 Sep. 2025
El Secreto de Rosita distinguishes itself from nearby competitors by housing Nabiha, a separate restaurant dedicated to serving Palestinian cuisine.
—David Zimmermann, The Washington Examiner, 6 Sep. 2025
To distinguish an Earth-like planet from its star at a distance of roughly 30 light-years, a space telescope must collect light across about 20 meters.
—Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 3 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for distinguish
Recent Examples of Synonyms for distinguish
Verb
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The Training Day star attributed the shift in how people came to pronounce his name to his mother, who needed a way to differentiate between him and his father, who shares the same name.—
Preezy Brown,
VIBE.com,
4 Sep. 2025
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The rule dates back to the 19th century and was founded by old-money circles in the Northeast to differentiate themselves from the nouveau riche trying to infiltrate the social elite.—
Starr Bowenbank,
PEOPLE,
4 Sep. 2025
Verb
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In an essay published in Vogue, longtime magazine editor Anna Wintour characterized Armani as a steely, dedicated and, above all, innovative force in the fashion industry.—
Anna Kaufman,
USA Today,
5 Sep. 2025
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In a 69-page ruling, Judge Edward Chen of the Northern District of California characterized the decision of Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem to end TPS for Haiti and Venezuela as capricious, arbitrary and beyond the scope of her authority.—
Antonio Maria Delgado,
Miami Herald,
5 Sep. 2025
Verb
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That refers to the time in mid-July 2024 when state officials including Johnson and Laidlaw identified the site at 6310 Arkansas 215 south, about 8 miles north of Charleston, as a potential location for the new prison and July 31, 2024, when the state signed a contingency on the property.—
Penny Weaver,
Arkansas Online,
8 Sep. 2025
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At the scene, a member of the Toronto Police who identified himself as Officer Kim repeatedly prevented EW from approaching the woman for comment.—
Joey Nolfi,
Entertainment Weekly,
8 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Leaders need to practice empathy by noticing when silence lingers in a meeting, when a camera remains off, or when fatigue from time zones takes its toll.—
Matthew C. Meade,
Forbes.com,
9 Sep. 2025
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Later, while sifting through their collections, researchers noticed three unfamiliar-looking fish, the 2025 study said.—
Aspen Pflughoeft,
Miami Herald,
9 Sep. 2025
Verb
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The star, classified as IRAS 04302+2247, or IRAS 04302, is a protostar, with its disk measuring at around 40 billion miles (65 billion km) wide.—
Kenna Hughes-Castleberry,
Space.com,
4 Sep. 2025
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It was classified as a heritage site in 1995 and then as a national monument in 1997.—
Miranda Jeyaretnam,
Time,
4 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Paris and Milan are where cultural capital is built, where taste is defined, and where the most discerning audiences gather.—
Elizabeth Grace Coyne,
Forbes.com,
8 Sep. 2025
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Southerners have long been known to have the gift of gab, and that discerning quality has resulted in a rather enthusiastic take on small talk.—
Kaitlyn Yarborough,
Southern Living,
7 Sep. 2025
Verb
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The typical price of a single-family home in the United States is about $368,000, jumping roughly 13% over the past 5 years and 38% over the last decade, the ABC News data team found.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
11 Sep. 2025
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And Sheen does find the words to tell more harrowing stories of addiction and excess that defined his Hollywood spiral.—
Bryan Alexander,
USA Today,
11 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Taylor also drew false-start and holding penalties in the first half, and teammate Travis Kelce had seen enough during the Chiefs’ season-opening game Friday against the Chargers in São Paulo, Brazil.—
Pete Grathoff,
Kansas City Star,
6 Sep. 2025
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However, only select regions will get to see the eclipse, including New Zealand, southern Australia, parts of the Pacific and Atlantic, Asia, Africa, and Antarctica.—
Diana Leyva,
Nashville Tennessean,
6 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Distinguish.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/distinguish. Accessed 11 Sep. 2025.
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