to distinguish

Examples

• All

• But do you know what distinguishes pasta from Asian type noodles?

• "Cecilia is now having trouble distinguishing between what is real and what is not."

  Dark Water (2005)

• Everyone does, but how do you then distinguish between the two?

• So it's really hard to distinguish that from a heart attack.

• So you have to learn over time to distinguish what is noise and what is signal.

• In life, it's important to distinguish between need and want.

  Accepted (2006)

• Do you believe he was able to distinguish right from wrong?

  Anatomy of a Murder (1959)

• You will learn to distinguish birds by their call, and you will know every tree and plant by its name.

  Beau Is Afraid (2023)

• As in the real world, it's often difficult to distinguish between acquiring information and using it.

  Academic text (2011)

• The same is true of helping readers to distinguish fact from opinion.

  Academic text (2011)

Synonyms

I

to identify

vsto distinguish

∞ 1.8

Say who someone is or what something is

is about noticing differences rather than proving or naming identity

R

to recognize

vsto distinguish

• US

∞ 1.4

To see or hear someone and know who they are

is broader, including first-time or repeated noticing of differences

S

to spot

vsto distinguish

576 2.1

To notice someone or something, especially when it is hard

is the general act of recognizing differences, not only spotting hard cases

S

to separate

vsto distinguish

225 2.3

To tell how two things are different

focuses on noticing differences rather than physically grouping items

D

to differentiate

vsto distinguish

71 4.4

To show or notice how things are different

is a broader act of noticing or showing that items are not the same

D

to discern

vsto distinguish

70 5.8

To notice something that is hard to see or hear

covers noticing differences generally, not only those needing effort to see

P

to pick out

vsto distinguish

64 3.0

Notice a sound or sight among other things

is the broader action of noticing who or what differs in a group

T

to tell apart

vsto distinguish

41 3.0

To notice a difference between two similar things

is similar but can apply to one item compared to many rather than pairs

D

to discriminate

vsto distinguish

31 4.2

To notice small differences between things

is about simply recognizing differences, not necessarily judging them

S

to set apart

vsto distinguish

2 3.9

To keep something separate for a special use or to show it as different

is about noticing differences rather than assigning special roles

S

to secern

vsto distinguish

• Archaic

9.9

To tell similar things apart by noticing small differences

is the everyday act of noticing differences without rare wording

S

to secernate

vsto distinguish

• Archaic

9.9

To show that two people or things are not the same

is the common, everyday way to notice or show differences

C

to contradistinguish

vsto distinguish

• Formal

9.9

To show how one thing is different by comparing it with another

is a more general recognition of difference not tied to direct contrast

Antonyms

C

to confuse

142 1.9

Think one person or thing is another by mistake

M

to misidentify

9 6.5

Say a person or thing is a different one

How Distinct

to distinguish

177 3.1

to discern

70 5.8

to detect

763 3.2

to perceive

83 3.7

to notice

∞ 1.0

Surface Forms

Etymology