distinguishing 1 of 2

distinguishing

2 of 2

verb

present participle of distinguish
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as in characterizing
to be an important feature of a collection of recipes distinguished by their ease and simplicity

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of distinguishing
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
  • But its assertions are characteristic of the Trump administration’s systemic denial of trans lives, and signal further movement by HHS toward policies that seek to suppress trans identities among young people.
    Samantha Riedel, Them., 1 May 2025
  • Those individual developments are characteristic of a group that appreciates feedback.
    Patrick Mooney, New York Times, 29 Apr. 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
  • 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
  • Find out if your dishwasher is on its last legs by identifying these important signs.
    Timothy Dale, Better Homes & Gardens, 1 Mar. 2025
Verb
  • 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
  • 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
  • From its facial expressions to its distinctive chirp, the creature is wreathed in a kind of nostalgia that Eighties kids will remember from those early days trolling the VHS rack at their local Blockbuster.
    Brenna Ehrlich, Rolling Stone, 26 Apr. 2025
  • Its distinctive leaves consist of small leaflets arranged in rows on each side of the central vein, and its small yellow flowers appear in spherical clusters.
    Erik Zou, JSTOR Daily, 25 Apr. 2025
Adjective
  • Leaders must align their efforts but never relinquish their distinct accountabilities.
    Shivali Kukreja, Forbes.com, 24 Apr. 2025
  • Harvard University’s endowment, worth $53.2 billion at the end of its 2024 fiscal year, for example, consists of roughly 14,600 distinct funds.
    Todd L. Ely, The Conversation, 24 Apr. 2025
Verb
  • 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
  • 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
  • The house is typical of the modest cottages built in the area, with a front gable and adjacent porch over the main entry.
    Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 2 May 2025
  • Metal roofing: $17.48 (Home Depot) Metal roofing is easy to work with and is much more durable than typical roof shingles.
    Christopher Murray may earn a commission if you buy through our referral links. This content was created by a team that works independently from the Fox newsroom., FOXNews.com, 1 May 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Distinguishing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/distinguishing. Accessed 7 May. 2025.

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