differential
adjective · noun
Simple meaning
A qualitative or quantitative difference between similar or comparable things.
Pronunciation
Say it like this:
dihferehnshuhlSay the bold part a little louder.
IPA pronunciation (US)
dɪfɚˈɛnʃəl
This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.
IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.
Definition
Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.
adjective
Relating to or showing a difference
Of or pertaining to a difference.
Dependent on, or making a difference; distinctive.
Having differences in speed or direction of motion.
noun
A qualitative or quantitative difference between similar or comparable things.
Any of several generalizations of this concept to functions of several variables or to higher orders: the partial differential, total differential, Gateaux differential, etc.
One of two coils of conducting wire so related to one another or to a magnet or armature common to both, that one coil produces polar action contrary to that of the other.
A form of conductor used for dividing and distributing the current to a series of electric lamps so as to maintain equal action in all.
A quality that differentiates between similar things
The differential gear in an automobile, etc.
Word at a Glance
- Difficulty
- B1 · Intermediate (estimated)
- Frequency
- Common
- Typical Use
- General English
Word Aura™
How this word commonly comes across.
Aura for this meaning
This meaning: Of or pertaining to a difference.
Used this way, differential is a reasonably familiar word that usually carries little praise or criticism of its own. It usually sounds natural in a wide range of settings.
- Emotional tone
- Neutral
- Formality
- Neutral
- Intensity
- Not strongly marked
- How common
- Moderately common
- Connotation
- No strong connotation
- Usage feel
- Neutral and straightforward
Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.
More ways to use differential
- “The car's differential allows its wheels to turn at different speeds.”
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Common Patterns and Combinations
How this word naturally appears with others.
Word Family
Related forms, grouped by how they connect.
Word family
Words built from the same root.
A discrimination between things as different and distinct on the basis of their characteristics or attributes.
Possessing a differential coefficient or derivative.
In another and different manner.
In a differential manner.
Compound terms
Established multiword terms.
An equation containing differentials of a function.
A bevel gear that permits rotation of two shafts at different speeds.
The smallest change in stimulation that a person can detect.
The branch of psychology that studies measurable differences between individuals.
The smallest change in stimulation that a person can detect.
A systematic method of diagnosing a disorder (e.g., headache) that lacks unique symptoms or signs.
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Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.