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
Manohla Dargis, New York Times, 10 Apr. 2025
With that in mind, Singleton emphasizes the importance of distinguishing between privacy and anonymity.
—Gene Marks, Forbes.com, 6 Apr. 2025
Practice distinguishing between your immediate intuitive responses and what your analytical thinking can comprehend with focused attention.
—Cornelia C. Walther, Forbes.com, 5 Apr. 2025
Properly distinguishing between terrorist organizations and transnational criminal organizations is crucial for devising effective policies and responses to their violence.
—Ernesto Castañeda, The Conversation, 4 Apr. 2025
Since then, conservationists have pioneered genetic studies on Atlantic sturgeon, demonstrating through the power of DNA that natal river—where an individual fish is born—and season of spawning are both important for distinguishing subpopulations within each regional group.
—Logan Kistler, JSTOR Daily, 3 Apr. 2025
Add to that distinguishing features, such as above-average age or height, that person can be singled out from within their community.
—Abigail Dubiniecki, Forbes.com, 1 Apr. 2025
Fore one, telescopes have difficulty distinguishing the faint light from a planet from the much brighter light emitted by its host star.
—Victoria Corless, Space.com, 1 Apr. 2025
The motion detection is smart, too, distinguishing between people, pets, and vehicles, which cuts down on false alerts.
—Shubham Yewale, PC Magazine, 31 Mar. 2025
Verb
The military men are more distinct, largely because they’re either played by somewhat familiar faces — including Will Poulter, as Captain Erik, the head of the initial operation — or have distinguishing features, like the mustache on Elliott (Cosmo Jarvis), the head sniper.
—Manohla Dargis, New York Times, 10 Apr. 2025
With that in mind, Singleton emphasizes the importance of distinguishing between privacy and anonymity.
—Gene Marks, Forbes.com, 6 Apr. 2025
Practice distinguishing between your immediate intuitive responses and what your analytical thinking can comprehend with focused attention.
—Cornelia C. Walther, Forbes.com, 5 Apr. 2025
Properly distinguishing between terrorist organizations and transnational criminal organizations is crucial for devising effective policies and responses to their violence.
—Ernesto Castañeda, The Conversation, 4 Apr. 2025
Since then, conservationists have pioneered genetic studies on Atlantic sturgeon, demonstrating through the power of DNA that natal river—where an individual fish is born—and season of spawning are both important for distinguishing subpopulations within each regional group.
—Logan Kistler, JSTOR Daily, 3 Apr. 2025
Add to that distinguishing features, such as above-average age or height, that person can be singled out from within their community.
—Abigail Dubiniecki, Forbes.com, 1 Apr. 2025
Fore one, telescopes have difficulty distinguishing the faint light from a planet from the much brighter light emitted by its host star.
—Victoria Corless, Space.com, 1 Apr. 2025
The motion detection is smart, too, distinguishing between people, pets, and vehicles, which cuts down on false alerts.
—Shubham Yewale, PC Magazine, 31 Mar. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for distinguishing
Adjective
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However, each object is characteristic of its community, made with different varieties of flint and in a particular shape.—
The Editors,
JSTOR Daily,
5 June 2025
-
This experimental approach is characteristic of Ulvaeus’s career-long fascination with technological innovation.—
Naman Ramachandran,
Variety,
4 June 2025
Verb
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Testers say the main differentiating factor between this and other wearables is the sleep information, and especially for women, there is the extra bonus of an accurate cycle tracker.—
Health Editorial Team,
Health,
14 Mar. 2025
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Leaders must also work against the misunderstanding of these tools both within and outside their organizations—educating stakeholders on what these tools can and cannot do and differentiating them from the chatbots of days gone by.—
Sriram Nagaswamy,
Forbes,
12 Mar. 2025
Verb
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Find out if your dishwasher is on its last legs by identifying these important signs.—
Timothy Dale,
Better Homes & Gardens,
1 Mar. 2025
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The new telescope could help fill in the gap by getting a wider view of the galaxy – identifying objects of scientific interest that telescopes like Hubble and Webb can then go study up close.—
Eric Lagatta,
USA TODAY,
1 Mar. 2025
Verb
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Those deaths aren't counted in our statistics, and that's primarily because of the difficulty in classifying those deaths in a disaster.—
Melody Schreiber,
NPR,
13 Dec. 2024
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The National Labor Relations Board issued a complaint Wednesday against the popular Netflix dating show, classifying its stars as employees and accusing the program of several labor violations.—
Anna Kaufman,
USA TODAY,
13 Dec. 2024
Adjective
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Botanical Name: Petunia hybrids Sun Exposure: Full sun to part shade Soil Type: Medium, well-draining, average fertility Soil pH: Slightly acidic (6.0-7.0) 09 of 11 Rosemary The fragrant, needle-like foliage of rosemary will repel flies but add a distinctive flavor to your recipes.—
Mary Marlowe Leverette,
Southern Living,
13 June 2025
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The Peacock alum’s team executed the particularly ubiquitous State Farm ad featuring Severance star Adam Scott, set in the series’ distinctive office and directed by Ben Stiller.—
Pamela McClintock,
HollywoodReporter,
13 June 2025
Adjective
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Pullman Market follows in the footsteps of Eataly before it, but this complex’s concepts are so much more distinct and delicious than anything that forebear has offered.—
Jeremy Repanich,
Robb Report,
10 June 2025
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Research suggests disengagement isn't simply the absence of engagement but a distinct psychological state with its own antecedents and consequences.—
Jonathan H. Westover,
Forbes.com,
10 June 2025
Verb
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The games have been about playing spoiler in the NFC playoff picture and seeing what on this 2024 roster is transferrable to the future.—
Saad Yousuf,
The Athletic,
5 Jan. 2025
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Saint Alphonsus is still seeing some sporadic RSV cases and typical COVID cases for this time of year, Kitamura said.—
Carolyn Komatsoulis,
Idaho Statesman,
5 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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Bacalao is served in all manner of dishes; one of the most popular is with pil-pil sauce, made of olive oil, garlic and the juice of the fish, and typical in the Basque Country.—
Jon Yeomans,
CNN Money,
7 June 2025
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The show ran for four seasons until 2011 and followed a typical teenager who secretly had a double life as a famous pop star.—
Nicholas Rice,
People.com,
7 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Distinguishing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/distinguishing. Accessed 18 Jun. 2025.
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