Definition
To distinguish is to tell things apart — to perceive or mark the line that separates one from another. You distinguish a wolf from a dog, fact from opinion, the real from the forged. It overlaps with differentiate and discern, but distinguish leans on noticing the difference, where differentiate often means actively creating one. A second sense turns the word on its subject: to distinguish yourself is to stand out by merit and earn distinction. The Latin distinguere meant to separate by marking points between things.
Examples
- Even experts struggle to distinguish the forgery from the original.
- A strong essay must distinguish between correlation and causation.
- She distinguished herself as one of the most diligent students of her year.
Collocations
distinguish between·distinguish from·hard to distinguish·distinguish oneself·clearly distinguish
Synonyms
differentiate·discern·tell apart·discriminate·separate
Antonyms
confuse·conflate
Word family
distinction (noun)·distinct (adjective)·distinctive (adjective)·distinguished (adjective)
In TOEFL & IELTS
One of the most useful academic verbs, and a frequent essay prompt itself ('distinguish between X and Y'). Drill 'distinguish between' and 'distinguish from'. Keep the near-neighbours apart: distinguish is to notice a difference, differentiate is to make or specify one, and discern is to perceive something faint. The 'distinguish oneself' sense and the adjective distinguished are worth showing off in formal writing.