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
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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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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
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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
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of distinguish
But instruments onboard the spacecraft weren't designed to distinguish between molecules forged in the moon's presumably deep ocean and those cooked up in the icy shell.
—
Sharmila Kuthunur, Space.com, 12 Sep. 2025
Still, the only definitive way to answer this question is to return the sample to Earth, where scientists can use advanced laboratory techniques to distinguish biological from nonbiological origins.
—Amy J. Williams, The Conversation, 12 Sep. 2025
The companies showing off their cases with a lighter white or silvery iPhone 17 Pro in product shots mostly dodged any embarrassment, as those are harder to distinguish from Apple’s actual silver color.
—PC Magazine, 11 Sep. 2025
All black holes with the same mass and spin must be the same, with no distinguishing features.
—Clara Moskowitz, Scientific American, 10 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for distinguish
Sharmila Kuthunur, Space.com, 12 Sep. 2025
Still, the only definitive way to answer this question is to return the sample to Earth, where scientists can use advanced laboratory techniques to distinguish biological from nonbiological origins.
—Amy J. Williams, The Conversation, 12 Sep. 2025
The companies showing off their cases with a lighter white or silvery iPhone 17 Pro in product shots mostly dodged any embarrassment, as those are harder to distinguish from Apple’s actual silver color.
—PC Magazine, 11 Sep. 2025
All black holes with the same mass and spin must be the same, with no distinguishing features.
—Clara Moskowitz, Scientific American, 10 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for distinguish
Recent Examples of Synonyms for distinguish
Verb
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The market didn’t seem to differentiate between the few Chinese pharmaceutical names manufactured in the US.—
Brendan Ahern,
Forbes.com,
11 Sep. 2025
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What differentiates these drugs is less a matter of their purpose, and more a matter of how our laws and media treat these drugs.—
P.E. Moskowitz
September 11,
Literary Hub,
11 Sep. 2025
Verb
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An increasing number of boys are lonely, isolated and confused, wrestling with the aftermath of the #MeToo movement and the expectations of rigid masculinity, which has been widely characterized as toxic.—
Don Riddell,
CNN Money,
13 Sep. 2025
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Davey characterizes the Longbow strategy as flexible.—
James Morris,
Forbes.com,
13 Sep. 2025
Verb
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The suspect in the shooting, identified as 22-year-old Tyler Robinson, was arrested on Friday night after his father recognized him from surveillance images and video released by investigators, authorities said.—
Bill Hutchinson,
ABC News,
15 Sep. 2025
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Some of the information inadvertently made public in this way included names and email addresses, meaning the participants of the chat could be identified.—
Bernard Marr,
Forbes.com,
15 Sep. 2025
Verb
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While the container comes with a month's worth of capsules, many reviewers noticed results way sooner.—
Gabriela Izquierdo,
Southern Living,
17 Sep. 2025
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Most notably the Democrats in Nevada's congressional delegation noticed.—
Peter J Reilly,
Forbes.com,
17 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Forbes classifies Ellison–who bought nearly all of the Hawaiian island Lanai for $300 million in 2012–as a California resident based on his voter registration.—
Ella Malmgren,
Forbes.com,
11 Sep. 2025
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Arguing that relocation can stem the loss of biodiversity, the government has classified some islands used by Nicobarese tribals as wildlife sanctuaries.—
M. Rajshekhar,
Time,
11 Sep. 2025
Verb
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To make this vision for AI in learning a reality, with an appreciation that AI is already part of education, institutions must be discerning in their adoption and in defining what has learning value.—
Dave Tucker,
Forbes.com,
15 Sep. 2025
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And Camila Falquez, whose subjects have included Zendaya and Kamala Harris, shot the Oscar-winning performer Ariana DeBose as the discerning woman with a magnifying glass drawn by Lorenzo Mattotti in 1999.—
The New Yorker,
New Yorker,
15 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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Lerner says some customers see savings of 30 to 50 percent in their first month.—
Matthew Kayser,
USA Today,
13 Sep. 2025
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This announcement came as a bit of a shock, given The Vampire Diaries actor and Olympic gold medalist had been seen holding hands at an outdoor market as recently as August 31.—
Emily Tannenbaum,
Glamour,
12 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Distinguish.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/distinguish. Accessed 17 Sep. 2025.
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