n.
- The quality or condition of being unlike or dissimilar.
- An instance of disparity or unlikeness.
- A degree or amount by which things differ.
- A specific point or element that distinguishes one thing from another.
- A noticeable change or effect: Exercise has made a difference in her health.
- A disagreement or controversy.
- A cause of a disagreement or controversy.
- Discrimination in taste or choice; distinction.
- Mathematics.
- The amount by which one quantity is greater or less than another.
- The amount that remains after one quantity is subtracted from another.
- Archaic. A distinct mark or peculiarity.
To distinguish or differentiate.
SYNONYMS difference, dissimilarity, unlikeness, divergence, variation, distinction, discrepancy. These nouns refer to a lack of correspondence or agreement. Difference is the most general: differences in color and size; a difference of opinion. Dissimilarity is difference between things otherwise alike or comparable: a dissimilarity between the twins' personalities. Unlikeness usually implies greater and more obvious difference: unlikeness among their teaching styles. Divergence suggests an increasing difference: points of divergence between British and American English. Variation occurs between things of the same class or species; often it refers to modification of something original, prescribed, or typical: variations in temperature; a variation in shape. Distinction often means a difference in detail determinable only by close inspection: the distinction between "good" and "excellent." A discrepancy is a difference between things that should correspond or match: a discrepancy between his words and his actions.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
