Skip to main content
differential

differential

14 7.4
About a difference between groups or things that leads to different treatment
  • adjective
  • /ˌdɪfəˈrɛnʃəl/
: diferencial
  • The author suggests that differential attitudes and treatment of minority students may contribute to underachievement.
  • differential effect
  • differential diagnosis
  • differential treatment

But I would say that there are differential opportunities by decade.

Autoplay Next

Examples

  • The gender there was clear gender differential in terms of mortality, much higher in girls than boys.

  • So this idea of equality is achieved by having differential assignment of rights.

  • But I would say that there are differential opportunities by decade.

  • More will be said of the differential response rates in the Procedure section.

    Academic text (2008)
  • You do not want differential stretching between the two things.

  • We're not at a point with our intervention work where we're seeing differential effects based on the type of illness or the type of stress.

  • Box 3 lists some of the major differential causes of fatigue and breathlessness.

    Academic text (2011)
  • Additional questions might investigate differential effects across population subgroups, contexts, or cost-effectiveness.

    Academic text (2013)
  • Table 2 summarizes the role of exosomes in the differential diagnosis between HCC and other liver pathologies.

    Academic text (2017)
  • There is a significant differential in income levels between urban and rural areas.

Synonyms

different
vsdifferential
∞ 1.0

Not the same as another person or thing

acts as a relation that depends on items not being the same
varying
vsdifferential
74 3.4

Different in size, amount, level or kind

focuses on relationships based on how items are not the same
disparate
vsdifferential
35 7.9

Different in type so they cannot be easily compared

highlights distinctions while keeping items comparable rather than unrelated

Antonyms

uniformity
  • Specialized
17 4.6

The state of being the same in all parts

Compounds

4 6.1

A way for a doctor to tell one disease from another when symptoms are similar

differential equation
  • Specialized
4 7.4

An equation that shows how a number or amount changes using its rate of change

differential calculus
  • Specialized
1 8.0

The part of mathematics that studies how things change and how fast, like speed or temperature change

1 9.6

An equation that shows how a value changes when two or more things change

1 9.9

A machine with moving parts that solves equations about how things change

differential gear
  • Specialized
1 5.8

A set of gears that lets two wheels turn at different speeds when a car turns

differential cost
  • Specialized
1 6.9

The change in total cost when you produce one more or one less item

1 9.1

The rate at which a curve goes up or down at one point

differential limen
  • Specialized
9.9

The smallest change in how strong a sound, touch, or light feels that a person can notice

Study of how people differ in intelligence and personality

8.8

The smallest change in what you see, hear, or taste that a person can notice

5.2

A test that counts each type of white blood cell in a small blood sample

How Different

distinct
127 3.5
different
∞ 1.0
differential
14 7.4
similar
∞ 1.0
identical
257 2.9

Surface Forms

differential positive

Morphology

differential = differ (transparent) = differ + ential

The meaning related to differences is directly derived from 'differ'.

Etymology

Differential (adj) shares its root with different and difference, which mean 'not the same'. If treatment or rules are differential, they depend on those 'differences', so the origin explains why the word means 'showing a difference'.