as in characteristic
serving to identify as belonging to an individual or group
a novice birder still learning the distinguishing features of various finches
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in differentiating
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
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in characterizing
to be an important feature of
a collection of recipes distinguished by their ease and simplicity
Synonyms & Similar Words
3
as in identifying
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 noticing
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 classifying
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 distinguishing
James Somers, New Yorker, 3 Nov. 2025
As America’s capital of both wine production and pleasant weather, California has any number of towns that capture this experience, each with distinguishing characteristics that suit different types of travelers.
—Justin Goldman, AFAR Media, 24 Oct. 2025
But in a market where definitional confusion obscures risk and competitive tensions drive narratives, distinguishing signal from noise is increasingly critical and difficult.
—Emma Burleigh, Fortune, 20 Oct. 2025
Skye herself has almost no distinguishing characteristics besides her fragile state and propensity for terrible decisions, especially as the investigation around her boyfriend’s death kicks into gear.
—Alison Herman, Variety, 17 Oct. 2025
And investors have a hard time in the middle of this excitement, distinguishing between the good ideas and the bad ideas.
—Arjun Kharpal, CNBC, 3 Oct. 2025
The key is distinguishing between deal-breakers and workable differences.
—Connie Etemadi, USA Today, 2 Oct. 2025
In the current threat environment, the offenders are often not distinguishing.
—Bill Hutchinson, ABC News, 28 Sep. 2025
This is not distinguishing Russia.
—Shane Croucher, MSNBC Newsweek, 25 Sep. 2025
Verb
People would devote entire dissertations to developing techniques for distinguishing handwritten digits or for recognizing faces in images; then a deep-learning algorithm would digest the underlying data, discover the subtleties of the problem, and make those projects seem obsolete.
—James Somers, New Yorker, 3 Nov. 2025
As America’s capital of both wine production and pleasant weather, California has any number of towns that capture this experience, each with distinguishing characteristics that suit different types of travelers.
—Justin Goldman, AFAR Media, 24 Oct. 2025
But in a market where definitional confusion obscures risk and competitive tensions drive narratives, distinguishing signal from noise is increasingly critical and difficult.
—Emma Burleigh, Fortune, 20 Oct. 2025
Skye herself has almost no distinguishing characteristics besides her fragile state and propensity for terrible decisions, especially as the investigation around her boyfriend’s death kicks into gear.
—Alison Herman, Variety, 17 Oct. 2025
And investors have a hard time in the middle of this excitement, distinguishing between the good ideas and the bad ideas.
—Arjun Kharpal, CNBC, 3 Oct. 2025
The key is distinguishing between deal-breakers and workable differences.
—Connie Etemadi, USA Today, 2 Oct. 2025
In the current threat environment, the offenders are often not distinguishing.
—Bill Hutchinson, ABC News, 28 Sep. 2025
This is not distinguishing Russia.
—Shane Croucher, MSNBC Newsweek, 25 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for distinguishing
Adjective
-
That characteristic ionization marks a full-fledged planetary nebula.—
Big Think,
Big Think,
3 Nov. 2025
-
This gas then erupts from the shell of the comet, casting off solid dust and growing the halo around a comet, the coma, and its characteristic cometary tail.—
Robert Lea,
Space.com,
31 Oct. 2025
Verb
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He was credited with elevating the revenues, profits and image of Macy’s West, successfully differentiating it from regional department store competitors, and evolving Macy’s private labels into private brands, with in-store shops, professional sales associates and full-price marketing.—
David Moin,
Footwear News,
20 Oct. 2025
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Others echoed that sentiment while differentiating human creativity from automation.—
Callum McLennan,
Variety,
15 Oct. 2025
Verb
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But Rodriguez and Patacsil expressed skepticism about how other members were characterizing that advice.—
Jemma Stephenson,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
18 Oct. 2025
-
Tricia McLaughlin, a spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security, condemned the protest, characterizing it as an attempt to obstruct law enforcement operations.—
Billal Rahman,
MSNBC Newsweek,
14 Oct. 2025
Verb
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In this role, Goldstein was responsible for identifying new business opportunities, including acquisitions and helping to develop the division’s stateside growth plan.—
Vogue Business Team,
Vogue,
4 Nov. 2025
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Quick action can help prevent additional losses and assist authorities in identifying scam trends.—
Kurt Knutsson,
FOXNews.com,
4 Nov. 2025
Verb
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Harvey brings a distinctive approach to the nuclear narrative, one shaped by childhood memories of hearing about French President Jacques Chirac and the Rainbow Warrior bombing, but noticing the absence of First Nations voices in those stories.—
Naman Ramachandran,
Variety,
4 Nov. 2025
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Humans are inherently quite good at noticing changes in other people’s expressions.—
Matt Fuchs,
Time,
4 Nov. 2025
Verb
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Related Stories In a nutsell, the test arranged by the cutter’s union documented that AI tools are great for organizing, classifying and summarizing.—
Cynthia Littleton,
Variety,
16 Oct. 2025
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Cal Fire updated Saratoga’s Fire Hazard Severity Zone map in June, classifying some southwestern portions of the city as moderate or high fire hazard zones.—
Nollyanne Delacruz,
Mercury News,
14 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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His legacy is alive and well in the nightclubs of Recife, the capital city, where couples dance to forró’s distinctive ringing of triangles and humming zabumba drum until the early hours.—
Carolina Abbott Galvão,
Travel + Leisure,
5 Nov. 2025
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With 18 patterns in dinner, dessert, and mini sizes, these plates make your holiday table distinctive, sans the post-feast cleanup marathon.—
Lauren Bengtson,
Better Homes & Gardens,
5 Nov. 2025
Verb
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Between the timing and Elsbeth spotting a shiny, brand-new replacement for Johnny’s beat-up old harness and carabiner, the jig is up, giving Elsbeth a moment to shine on the set of Raquel’s Behind the Black Veil interview, prosecuting her case in the persona of a reality-show host.—
Sophie Brookover,
Vulture,
24 Oct. 2025
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The robot is also capable of spotting the charging spot perfectly in electric vehicles.—
Prabhat Ranjan Mishra,
Interesting Engineering,
24 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Distinguishing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/distinguishing. Accessed 7 Nov. 2025.
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