Synonyms for distinguish
dɪˈstɪŋ gwɪʃdis·tin·guish

English Synonyms and AntonymsRate these synonyms:5.0 / 1 vote

1. distinguishverb

   The central idea of withdrawing makes abstract in common speech a euphemism for appropriate (unlawfully), purloin, steal. In mental processes we discriminate between objects by distinguishing their differences; we separate some one element from all that does not necessarily belong to it, abstract it, and view it alone. We may separate two ideas, and hold both in mind in comparison or contrast; but when we abstract one of them, we drop the other out of thought. The mind is abstracted when it is withdrawn from all other subjects and concentrated upon one, diverted when it is drawn away from what it would or should attend to by some other interest, distracted when the attention is divided among different subjects, so that it can not be given properly to any. The trouble with the distracted person is that he is not abstracted. Compare DISCERN.

   Synonyms:
   abstract, appropriate, detach, discriminate, distract, divert, eliminate, purloin, remove, separate, steal, take away, withdraw

   Antonyms:
   add, combine, complete, conjoin, fill up, increase, restore, strengthen, unite

   Preposition:
   The purse may be abstracted from the pocket; the substance from the accidents; a book into a compend.

Complete Dictionary of Synonyms and AntonymsRate these synonyms:2.0 / 1 vote

1. distinguish

   Synonyms:
   discern, descry, perceive, characterize, make famous, know, discriminate, see, discover, separate, divide, dissimilate, differentiate

   Antonyms:
   miss, overlook, confound, confuse

Princeton's WordNetRate these synonyms:2.8 / 5 votes

1. distinguish, separate, differentiate, secern, secernate, severalize, severalise, tell, tell apartverb

   mark as different

   "We distinguish several kinds of maple"

   Synonyms:
   tell apart, distinguish, classify, discriminate, spot, mark, differentiate, sort, signalise, enjoin, split up, key out, evidence, tell, break up, divide, come apart, single out, part, state, pick out, order, carve up, key, severalize, split, assure, speciate, separate, fall apart, severalise, furcate, dissever, signalize, assort, specialize, recount, class, identify, make out, specialise, branch, discern, secern, recognize, recite, name, disunite, recognise, narrate, describe, break, sort out, ramify, fork, discover, secernate, say

2. spot, recognize, recognise, distinguish, discern, pick out, make out, tell apartverb

   detect with the senses

   "The fleeing convicts were picked out of the darkness by the watchful prison guards"; "I can't make out the faces in this photograph"

   Synonyms:
   discern, bang, have it away, screw, acknowledge, recognise, deal, grapple, get along, choose, distinguish, greet, make love, discover, do, jazz, key, love, roll in the hay, separate, cut, neck, be intimate, signalize, accredit, name, pick out, eff, bonk, make do, spot, bed, do it, mark, have intercourse, realize, make out, manage, have sex, tell apart, select, secern, take, fill out, fill in, have a go at it, key out, tell, agnise, describe, secernate, sleep with, agnize, blemish, identify, contend, issue, fleck, hump, get laid, severalize, descry, have it off, sleep together, get by, signalise, write out, spy, cope, recognize, severalise, know, come, get it on, differentiate, complete, blot, fare, lie with, espy, realise, blob

3. distinguish, mark, differentiateverb

   be a distinctive feature, attribute, or trait; sometimes in a very positive sense

   "His modesty distinguishes him from his peers"

   Synonyms:
   specialise, tell apart, distinguish, punctuate, signalise, cross out, pit, spot, mark, commemorate, differentiate, speciate, key out, specialize, tick, nock, tell, strike out, notice, scar, score, brand, pick out, grade, key, severalize, strike off, separate, severalise, check off, cross off, signalize, tick off, pock, identify, make out, stigmatize, discern, secern, recognize, mark off, stigmatise, name, denounce, recognise, tag, describe, label, set, discover, secernate, note, check

4. signalize, signalise, distinguishverb

   make conspicuous or noteworthy

   Synonyms:
   distinguish, sign, recognise, recognize, describe, separate, discover, point out, signalize, call attention, key, mark, differentiate, spot, pick out, key out, severalise, signalise, severalize, secernate, identify, secern, tell apart, make out, tell, discern, signal, name

5. identify, discover, key, key out, distinguish, describe, nameverb

   identify as in botany or biology, for example

   Synonyms:
   account, detect, distinguish, chance upon, signalise, trace, let out, separate, place, secern, bring out, reveal, disclose, attain, let on, depict, cite, find, describe, get word, differentiate, fall upon, refer, strike, spot, report, nominate, make, pick out, see, find out, key, expose, bring up, give away, mark, break, appoint, severalise, tell apart, signalize, happen upon, delineate, list, divulge, identify, make out, come across, key out, observe, get a line, notice, recognize, line, name, pick up, call, mention, draw, discern, advert, recognise, tell, unwrap, constitute, learn, come upon, light upon, get wind, chance on, diagnose, discover, secernate, severalize, hear

Matched Categories

1. • Characterize
   • Mark

Dictionary of English SynonymesRate these synonyms:0.0 / 0 votes

1. distinguishverb

   Synonyms:
   characterize, mark, indicate by a mark, mark out

2. distinguishverb

   Synonyms:
   discriminate, discern, perceive, tell, know

3. distinguishverb

   Synonyms:
   separate, divide

4. distinguishverb

   Synonyms:
   signalize, make famous, make celebrated, make known, bring into notice

5. distinguishverb

   Synonyms:
   make distinction, show the difference

Synonyms, Antonyms & Associated WordsRate these synonyms:5.0 / 1 vote

1. distinguishverb

   Synonyms:
   characterize, discriminate, differentiate, discern, recognize

PPDB, the paraphrase databaseRate these paraphrases:0.0 / 0 votes

1. List of paraphrases for "distinguish":

   differentiate, distinguishing, distinguishes, discriminate, discern, distinguished, discrimination, separate

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Words popularity by usage frequency

How to use distinguish in a sentence?

1. Alan Simpson:

   Any education that matters is liberal. All the saving truths, all the healing graces that distinguish a good education from a bad one or a full education from a half empty one are contained in that word.

2. Sajjad Malik:

   The virus doesn’t distinguish between a national and a refugee. So, if you don’t protect and save your refugee population it becomes a public health issue.

3. Patricia Kim:

   I think the President Joe Biden administration has tried to distinguish its North Korea policy by making the case that it's not interested in flashy summits or grand bargains, but that it wants to take a practical and calibrated approach to build towards the complete denuclearization of North Korea, i think the hang up, of course, is not so much Patricia Kim policy, but the fact that North Korea seems to have zero interest in talking about denuclearization.

4. Andrea Dworkin:

   Seduction is often difficult to distinguish from rape. In seduction, the rapist often bothers to buy a bottle of wine.

5. Sarah Ash Combs:

   Short of getting a test, I would say it's really tricky to distinguish right now, we need to just treat cold-ish symptoms in pretty much the same bucket.