1. To recognize or show the difference between things.
2. To make something recognizably different from other things.
3. To make someone notable through achievement or a marked quality.
Use it for
Words that belong together
- distinguish between
- distinguish one from another
On the page
The analysis distinguished absence of evidence from contrary evidence.
The method distinguished the two materials under the stated conditions.
Nearby words
Related words
Word forms
- Base
- distinguish
- Past tense
- distinguished
- Past participle
- distinguished
- Present participle
- distinguishing
Full tense & aspect guide
- Present
- distinguish
- Present continuous
- am/is/are distinguishing
- Present perfect
- have/has distinguished
- Present perfect continuous
- have/has been distinguishing
- Past
- distinguished
- Past continuous
- was/were distinguishing
- Past perfect
- had distinguished
- Past perfect continuous
- had been distinguishing
- Future
- will distinguish
- Future continuous
- will be distinguishing
- Future perfect
- will have distinguished
- Future perfect continuous
- will have been distinguishing
Choose the auxiliary that agrees with your subject. These are constructions of one word, not separate entries.
Usage notes
Primary category: academic / formal. Forms: distinguish; distinguishes; distinguished; distinguished; distinguishing Legacy lexical fields mirror sense 1 only. Use numbered sense fields for all meanings. Established modern English lexical item. No separate regional spelling or grammatical inflection entry. Writing functions: renewed assessment, explicit formulation, classification and framing. Disciplines: academic writing, formal analysis. Commonness: moderately common. Third-person singular: distinguishes.
Practice this word in a sentenceYour margin notes
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