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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Structured with fresh acidity and length, the oak is well integrated, and the overall impression is of a balanced, delicious wine with the red fruit aromas that are characteristic of Trepat.—
Forbes.com,
Forbes.com,
15 Aug. 2025
-
During the last month of the course, students practice communicating effectively in a wide range of circumstances characteristic of a STEM career.—
Filomena Nunes,
The Conversation,
12 Aug. 2025
Verb
-
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
-
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
-
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
-
The robber was seen in the surveillance footage wearing distinctive blue and white high-top shoes, the affidavit states.—
Shambhavi Rimal,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
12 Aug. 2025
-
In general, the only ways to date sediments are if there’s a layer of volcanic ash in them, or by distinctive fossils in the sediments.—
Howard Lee,
ArsTechnica,
11 Aug. 2025
Adjective
-
Cutting this rate encourages economic activity in two distinct ways.—
Brian Domitrovic,
Forbes.com,
9 Aug. 2025
-
The Old Farmer's Almanac, distinct from the Farmers' Almanac, claims an 80% accuracy rate for its weather predictions.—
Laura Daniella Sepulveda,
AZCentral.com,
7 Aug. 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
-
Speed: Choose a plan with enough download and upload speed for your typical use.—
Kara McGinley,
USA Today,
19 Aug. 2025
-
David Raya came and collected a corner with typical calmness, using a quick throw to release Martin Odegaard into a four-on-four counter-attack.—
James McNicholas,
New York Times,
18 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Distinguishing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/distinguishing. Accessed 22 Aug. 2025.
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