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differentiate

/ˌdɪf.əˈɹɛn.ʃi.eɪt/verb5 syllables

Differentiate means: mark as different.

Synonyms for differentiate18

verb, as in mark as different

distinguish, separate, secern, secernate, severalize, severalise, tell, tell apart

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

verb, as in evolve so as to lead to a new species or develop in a way most suited to the environment

speciate, specialize, specialise

also used for differentiate

change, differentialize, transform, differentialize (rare) ?, individualize, particularize

Includes material from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.

Opposites of differentiate

integrate, dedifferentiate

What does differentiate mean?6

verb

1

mark as different“We distinguish several kinds of maple”

2

be a distinctive feature, attribute, or trait; sometimes in a very positive sense“His modesty distinguishes him from his peers”

3

evolve so as to lead to a new species or develop in a way most suited to the environment

4

calculate a derivative; take the derivative

5

become different during development“cells differentiate”

6

become distinct and acquire a different character

Definitions from the Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.

Differentiate in a sentence

  • Without our sense of smell, we wouldn't be able to differentiate tea from coffee.araneo
  • All these books were organised by category, without differentiating the various languages.sundown
  • We must be able to differentiate between objects and situations.unknown
  • Do you know how to differentiate between poison ivy and poison oak plants?Incursio
  • Brussels seems to be unable to differentiate between refugees and immigrants.maaster
  • You need to differentiate between reality and fiction.Kleinweich
  • Ziri needs to differentiate between romance and friendship.Amastan
  • Some people are incapable of differentiating between government and citizen.DJ_Saidez

Sentences from Tatoeba, CC BY 2.0 FR, credited to their authors.

Forms of differentiate

as a verb

past tense
differentiated
present participle
differentiating
third-person singular
differentiates
past participle
differentiated