distinguish

verb

Simple meaning

To recognize someone or something as different from others based on its characteristics.

Pronunciation

Say it like this:

dihstinggwish

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US device voice

IPA pronunciation (US)

dɪsˈtɪŋɡwɪʃ

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.

Word Review

Definition

Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.

verb

To recognize someone or something as different from others based on its characteristics.
transitivereflexive
To make noticeably different or better from others through accomplishments.
Mark as different
“We distinguish several kinds of maple.”
To see someone or something clearly or distinctly.
Make conspicuous or noteworthy
To confer an honor upon.

Word at a Glance

Difficulty: B2 · Upper Intermediate
Frequency: Moderately Common
Typical Use: Neutral / general English

Word Aura™

How this word commonly comes across.

Aura for this meaning

This meaning: To recognize someone or something as different from others based on its characteristics.

Used this way, distinguish 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

Nearby words

differentiate , a specialist term, precise but narrower

Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.

More ways to use distinguish

“We distinguish several kinds of maple.”verb
“His modesty distinguishes him from his peers.”verb

Common Patterns and Combinations

How this word naturally appears with others.

See

clearly distinguish

Distinctive

easily distinguish

Other combinations

distinguish twodistinguish three

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Word Family

Related forms, grouped by how they connect.

Word family

Words built from the same root.

distinguishableadjectiveDerived adjective
Capable of being perceived as different or distinct.

Compound terms

Established multiword terms.

distinguished conduct medalnounCompound term
A British military decoration for distinguished conduct in the field.
distinguished flying crossnounCompound term
A United States Air Force decoration for heroism while participating in an aerial flight.
distinguished service crossnounCompound term
A United States Army decoration for extraordinary heroism against an armed enemy.
distinguished service medalnounCompound term
A United States military decoration for meritorious service in wartime duty of great responsibility.
distinguished service ordernounCompound term
A British military decoration for special service in action.
distinguishing characteristicnounCompound term
An odd or unusual characteristic.

More about this wordSynonyms, forms, origin

Synonyms

Sense: to recognize someone

discern

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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.