1
as in to differentiate
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
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to characterize
to be an important feature of
a collection of recipes distinguished by their ease and simplicity
Synonyms & Similar Words
3
as in to identify
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 to notice
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 to classify
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 distinguish
Israel's military offensive killed more than 48,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children, according to Gaza's Health Ministry, which doesn't distinguish between civilians and combatants.
—
CBS News, 22 Feb. 2025
Israel’s military offensive killed more than 48,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry, which doesn’t distinguish between civilians and combatants.
—Wafaa Shurafa, TIME, 22 Feb. 2025
But defining and distinguishing between what is and isn’t important does.
—Pia Lauritzen, Forbes, 22 Feb. 2025
Bensinger immediately distinguished himself as a reformer, implementing innovative approaches to rehabilitation and prisoners’ rights.
—Rick Kogan, Chicago Tribune, 21 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for distinguish
CBS News, 22 Feb. 2025
Israel’s military offensive killed more than 48,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry, which doesn’t distinguish between civilians and combatants.
—Wafaa Shurafa, TIME, 22 Feb. 2025
But defining and distinguishing between what is and isn’t important does.
—Pia Lauritzen, Forbes, 22 Feb. 2025
Bensinger immediately distinguished himself as a reformer, implementing innovative approaches to rehabilitation and prisoners’ rights.
—Rick Kogan, Chicago Tribune, 21 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for distinguish
Recent Examples of Synonyms for distinguish
Verb
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Structure and Ownership: Estimations may differentiate between single-family offices (SFOs), which serve one family, and multi-family offices (MFOs), which serve multiple families.—
Francois Botha,
Forbes,
2 Mar. 2025
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Does your insurance differentiate between visits to urgent care or ER?—
Katia Hetter,
CNN,
1 Mar. 2025
Verb
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Security Modern SaaS applications follow a development process characterized by frequent releases as new features and iterations become available.—
Ben Verghese,
Forbes,
4 Mar. 2025
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Another type of hyperpigmentation that kojic acid can help with is melasma—a stubborn and hard-to-treat skin condition characterized by splotchy, brown or grayish patches.—
Jenna Ryu,
SELF,
4 Mar. 2025
Verb
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The shooter, later identified by police as 43-year-old George C. Manning III, then allegedly abducted Giuliana Manning from the home, according to the highway patrol.—
Kendrick Calfee,
Kansas City Star,
1 Mar. 2025
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Have persistent weeds identified to determine the best control.—
Tom MacCubbin,
Orlando Sentinel,
1 Mar. 2025
Verb
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Ben Affleck and Jennifer Garner have been spotted out and about with their three children, and people are noticing their closeness.—
Lea Veloso,
StyleCaster,
7 Mar. 2025
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The outplacement firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas keeps a tally of layoff notices.—
Brittney Melton,
NPR,
7 Mar. 2025
Verb
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Despite the depth and breadth of his transactions, Sweeney did not classify his work as a teardown.—
Fluto Shinzawa,
The Athletic,
8 Mar. 2025
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Using data from nearly 10,000 herbarium specimens, scientists at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History have brought attention to the conservation status of these plants, revealing that 87 species—almost half of the genus—are now classified as threatened with extinction.—
Ella Jeffries,
Smithsonian Magazine,
7 Mar. 2025
Verb
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According to a police report, Justin Pfeifer texted his friend Marshall about six weeks before that, trying to discern the make of Mulligan’s car.—
Kyle Newman,
The Denver Post,
2 Mar. 2025
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And scientists will be able to discern these ice spectra with unprecedented clarity thanks to SPHEREx’s observations.—
Meghan Bartels,
Scientific American,
28 Feb. 2025
Verb
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Around the world, the evidence for the value of social progress is conclusive: McKinsey’s global research found that companies in the top quartile for gender diversity on executive teams were 25% more likely to experience above-average profitability.—
Paul Klein,
Forbes,
2 Mar. 2025
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Since one of the most fascinating stellar phenomena of our time will only be visible for about a week, find T CrB in March — and don't let it out of your sight.—
Jamie Carter,
Space.com,
2 Mar. 2025
Verb
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Seattle saw some of Darnold’s best work up close in Minnesota’s Week 16 win at Lumen Field.—
Michael-Shawn Dugar,
The Athletic,
11 Mar. 2025
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Houston, which used just three reserves the majority of the night before emptying its bench in the final minutes, saw its bench total 25.—
Jason Beede,
Orlando Sentinel,
11 Mar. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Distinguish.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/distinguish. Accessed 13 Mar. 2025.
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