lexicow

different

/ˈdɪfərənt//ˈdɪfrənt/·adjective
Two pendulums hang from one brass beam, but the right rod is plainly longer, its bob slung lower — even before anything moves, they are not a matched pair. Pushed off together, they start as one, then the longer one swings slower and the gap opens: one bob hangs at the top while the other is already swinging home. Stroke by stroke they slide further out of step, and no warm glow ever forms. They began together and could not keep it.
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Definition

Different means not the same — unlike another in nature, form, or degree. It comes from the Latin differre, 'to carry apart', the same root as differ and differentiate. It is the plain, everyday opposite of similar, and it spans the whole range from the trivial (a different colour) to the profound (a wholly different worldview). Mind the preposition: standard English prefers 'different from', though 'different to' (British) and 'different than' (American, before a clause) are both common.

Examples

  • Their two accounts of the night were so different that one of them had to be wrong.
  • A different approach might succeed where the obvious one had failed.
  • Twins can look identical yet grow up utterly different in temperament.

Collocations

different from·completely different·a different approach·no different·different in kind

Synonyms

dissimilar·unalike·distinct·divergent·disparate

Antonyms

similar·identical·alike·same

See also

Word family

difference (noun)·differently (adverb)·differ (verb)

In TOEFL & IELTS

So common that the skill is precision: prefer 'different from' in formal writing (the safest choice for IELTS/TOEFL), and reserve 'markedly/radically different' to add weight. Don't confuse the adjective different with the verb differentiate (to mark a difference) or differ (to be unlike). 'No different from' is a clean way to deny a contrast.