Word forms: 3rd person singular presenttense distinguishes, present participle distinguishing, past tense, past participle distinguished
1. verb
If you can distinguish one thing from another or distinguishbetween two things, you can see or understand how they are different.
Could he distinguish right from wrong? [VERB noun + from]
Research suggests that babies learn to see by distinguishing between areas of lightand dark. [V + between]
It is necessary to distinguish the policies of two successive governments. [VERB noun]
Synonyms: differentiate, determine, separate, discriminate More Synonyms of distinguish
2. verb
A feature or quality that distinguishes one thing from another causes the two things to be regarded as different, because only the first thing has the feature or quality.
There is something about music that distinguishes it from all other art forms. [VERB noun + from]
The bird has no distinguishing features. [VERB-ing]
3. verb
If you can distinguish something, you can see, hear, or taste it although it is very difficult to detect.
[formal]
There were cries, calls. He could distinguish voices. [VERB noun]
4. verb
If you distinguishyourself, you do something that makes you famous or important.
Over the next few years he distinguished himself as a leading constitutional scholar. [V pron-refl + as]
They distinguished themselves at the Battle of Assaye. [VERB pronoun-reflexive]
More Synonyms of distinguish
distinguish in British English
(dɪˈstɪŋɡwɪʃ)
verb(mainly tr)
1. (whenintr, foll by between or among)
to make, show, or recognize a difference or differences (between or among); differentiate (between)
2.
to be a distinctive feature of; characterize
3.
to make out; perceive
4.
to mark for a special honour or title
5.
to make (oneself) noteworthy
he distinguished himself by his cowardice
6.
to classify; categorize
we distinguished three species
Derived forms
distinguishable (disˈtinguishable)
adjective
distinguishably (disˈtinguishably)
adverb
distinguisher (disˈtinguisher)
noun
distinguishing (disˈtinguishing)
adjective
distinguishingly (disˈtinguishingly)
adverb
Word origin
C16: from Latin distinguere to separate, discriminate
distinguish in American English
(dɪˈstɪŋgwɪʃ)
verb transitive
1.
to separate or mark off by differences; perceive or show the difference in; differentiate
2.
to be an essential characteristic of; characterize
3.
to perceive clearly; recognize plainly by any of the senses
4.
to separate and classify
5.
to make famous or eminent; give distinction to
to distinguish oneself in battle
verb intransitive
6.
to make a distinction (between or among)
SIMILAR WORDS: disˈcern
SYNONYMY NOTE: distinguish implies a recognizing or marking apart from others by special features or characteristicqualities [to distinguish good from evil]; discriminate, in this connection, suggests a distinguishing of minute or subtle differences betweensimilar things [to discriminate scents]; differentiate suggests the noting or ascertaining of specific differences between things by comparingin detail their distinguishing qualities or features
Derived forms
distinguishable (disˈtinguishable)
adjective
distinguishably (disˈtinguishably)
adverb
Word origin
< L distinguere, to separate, discriminate < dis-, apart + -stinguere, to prick < IE base *steig-, to prick, pierce (> stick, Ger sticken, to embroider, Gr stigma) + , sense -ish (sense 2)
Examples of 'distinguish' in a sentence
distinguish
There was a time when I couldn't distinguish one day from the next.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
What are the distinguishing features of language as symbol that biased language uses?
Goshgarian, Gary Exploring language (6th edn) (1995)
You cannot distinguish one from the other.
Times, Sunday Times (2010)
Three things distinguished great powers from their lesser neighbours.
French, David The British way in Warfare - 1688-2000 (1990)
You can distinguish between these two tribes on the beach by the colour of their jackets.
Times, Sunday Times (2015)
What does distinguish the difference between your churches?
Christianity Today (2000)
The first sought to distinguish between "deserving" and "undeserving" poor.
Hunt, E. K. Property and Prophets: The Evolution of Economic Institutions and Ideologies (1995)
The two kinds of slumps have another distinguishing feature.
Hopkins, Tom The Guide to Greatness in Sales (1994)
What distinguishes one period from another is the particular emphasis placed on one value relative to others.
Tompkins, Jonathan Human Resource Management in Government (1995)
What distinguished the two was that no one knew how the natural process worked.
Oliver Morton Eating the Sun: How Plants Power the Planet (2007)
He had not at first distinguished who it was that called him.
William Thackeray Vanity Fair (1837)
That is one of the distinguishing features of our age.
Times, Sunday Times (2010)
The toughest thing has been distinguishing from such a feast of music.
Times, Sunday Times (2008)
This is the ability to distinguish two points on the skin.
Siann, Gerda & Ugwuegbu, Denis C. E. Educational Psychology in a Changing World (1988)
At first you distinguish him by his outward accoutrements.
Times, Sunday Times (2007)
Garden warblers are small brown birds with no distinguishing features except that they have none.
Times, Sunday Times (2010)
How would one distinguish between what was fact and what was fiction?
Times, Sunday Times (2007)
The main thing that distinguishes them is the outrageous fee they charge.
Times, Sunday Times (2007)
There are two distinguishing features of an English auction.
Miller, Roger LeRoy & Fishe, Raymond P. H. Microeconomics: Price Theory in Practice (1995)
The Frenchman thought luck was a personal attribute, a quality that distinguished a truly successful general from a merely competent one.
Times, Sunday Times (2008)
In other languages
distinguish
British English: distinguish /dɪˈstɪŋɡwɪʃ/ VERB
If you can distinguish one thing from another, you can see or understand the difference between them.
Could he distinguish right from wrong?
Research suggests that babies learn to see by distinguishing between areas of light and dark.
American English: distinguish
Arabic: يُـمَيِّزُ
Brazilian Portuguese: distinguir
Chinese: 辨别
Croatian: razlikovati
Czech: rozlišit
Danish: skelne
Dutch: onderscheiden waarnemen
European Spanish: distinguir
Finnish: erottaa toisistaan
French: distinguer
German: unterscheiden
Greek: ξεχωρίζω διακρίνω
Italian: distinguere
Japanese: 区別する
Korean: 구별하다
Norwegian: skjelne
Polish: odróżnić
European Portuguese: distinguir
Romanian: a distinge
Russian: отличать
Latin American Spanish: distinguir
Swedish: särskilja
Thai: จำแนกความแตกต่าง
Turkish: ayırt etmek
Ukrainian: розрізняти
Vietnamese: phân biệt
Chinese translation of 'distinguish'
distinguish
(dɪsˈtɪŋɡwɪʃ)
vt
(frm, = identify)[details, sounds]辨别(別) (biànbié)
to distinguish one thing from another (= differentiate) 将(將)一事物与(與)另一事物区(區)别(別)开(開)来(來) (jiāng yī shìwù yǔ lìng yī shìwù qūbié kāilái)
to distinguish sb/sth from others (= set apart) 使某人/某物显(顯)得与(與)众(眾)不同 (shǐ mǒurén/mǒuwù xiǎnde yǔ zhòng bù tóng)
vi
to distinguish between truth and fiction分清事实(實)和虚(虛)构(構) (fēnqīng shìshí hé xūgòu)
to distinguish o.s.出名 (chūmíng)
1 (verb)
Definition
to make, show, or recognize a difference
Could he distinguish right from wrong?
Synonyms
differentiate
He cannot differentiate between his imagination and the real world.
determine
separate
discriminate
He is incapable of discriminating between a good idea and a bad one.
decide
judge
discern
We've been trying to discern a pattern in his behaviour.
ascertain
tell the difference
make a distinction
tell apart
tell between
2 (verb)
Definition
to be a distinctive feature of
one of the things that distinguishes artists from other people
Synonyms
characterize
This election campaign has been characterized by violence.
mark
The style is marked by simplicity, clarity and candour.
separate
What separates terrorism from other acts of violence?
single out
individualize
set apart
make different
make distinctive
3 (verb)
Definition
to make out by hearing, seeing, or tasting
He could distinguish voices.
Synonyms
make out
identify
I tried to identify her perfume.
recognize
The receptionist recognized him at once.
perceive
I perceived a number of changes.
know
Would she know you if she saw you on the street?
see
I saw a man making his way towards me.
tell
I can't really tell the difference between their policies and ours.
spot
He left the party seconds before smoke was spotted coming up the stairs.
glimpse
pick out
discern
Under the bridge we could just discern a shadowy figure.
4 (verb)
Synonyms
make famous
celebrate
Tom celebrated his birthday two days ago.
honour
Two pioneering surgeons were honoured with the Nobel Prize.
dignify
I see no point in dignifying this kind of speculation with a response.
immortalize
The town was immortalized in the famous story of Dracula.
signalize
phrasal verb
See distinguish yourself
Additional synonyms
in the sense of celebrate
Definition
to hold festivities
Tom celebrated his birthday two days ago.
Synonyms
commemorate,
honour,
observe,
toast,
drink to,
keep
in the sense of dignify
Definition
to add distinction to
I see no point in dignifying this kind of speculation with a response.
Synonyms
distinguish,
honour,
grace,
raise,
advance,
promote,
elevate,
glorify,
exalt,
ennoble,
aggrandize
in the sense of discern
Definition
to see or be aware of (something) clearly
We've been trying to discern a pattern in his behaviour.