distinguish

(dĭ-stĭng'gwĭsh)

v., -guished, -guish·ing, -guish·es.

v.tr.

1. To perceive as being different or distinct.
2. To perceive distinctly; discern: distinguished the masts of ships on the horizon.
3. To make noticeable or different; set apart.
4. To cause (oneself) to be eminent or recognized: They have distinguished themselves as dedicated social workers.

v.intr.
To perceive or indicate differences; discriminate: distinguish between right and wrong.

[Alteration of obsolete distingue, from Middle English distinguen, from Old French distinguer, from Latin distinguere, to separate.]

distinguishable dis·tin'guish·a·ble adj.
distinguishably dis·tin'guish·a·bly adv.

View more Law & Legal Issues videos

verb

1. To recognize as being different: differentiate, discern, discriminate, know, separate, tell. See same/different/compare.
2. To perceive and fix the identity of, especially with difficulty: descry, discern, make out, pick out, spot. See see/not see.
3. To perceive with a special effort of the senses or the mind: descry, detect, discern, mark, mind, note, notice, observe, remark, see. See knowledge/ignorance, see/not see.
4. To make noticeable or different: characterize, differentiate, discriminate, individualize, mark, set apart, signalize, singularize. See same/different/compare.
5. To cause to be eminent or recognized: elevate, ennoble, exalt, honor, signalize. See respect/contempt/standing.

adj

Definition: discernible
Antonyms: indistinguishable

This entry contains information applicable to United States law only.

To set apart as being separate or different; to point out an essential disparity.

To distinguish one case from another case means to show the dissimilarities between the two. It means to prove a case that is cited as applicable to the case currently in dispute is really inapplicable because the two cases are different.

IN BRIEF: To tell apart.

It was hard for the spectators to distinguish the climbers as they reached the top of the rock face.

LearnThatWord.com is a free vocabulary and spelling program where you only pay for results!

For a list of words related to distinguish, see:

• Verbs of Sight - distinguish: single out; perceive clearly; recognize differences; spot
• Knowledge and Understanding - distinguish: separate mentally; recognize as different
• Judgments and Critiques - distinguish: (vb) discern a difference; separate from others

---

See words rhyming with "distinguish."

  See crossword solutions for the clue Distinguish.

Common misspelling(s) of distinguish

• distingish

Dansk (Danish)
v. tr. - skelne, adskille, karakterisere, udmærke sig, kunne opfatte, skimte
v. intr. - skelne mellem

idioms:

• distinguish oneself    udmærke sig

Nederlands (Dutch)
onderscheiden, zich onderscheiden, kenmerken

Français (French)
v. tr. - distinguer, apercevoir, discerner, percevoir
v. intr. - distinguer, faire la distinction entre

idioms:

• distinguish oneself    se distinguer (en tant que)

Deutsch (German)
v. - unterscheiden, erkennen, kennzeichnen

idioms:

• distinguish oneself    sich auszeichnen

Ελληνική (Greek)
v. - διακρίνω, αναγνωρίζω ή αντιλαμβάνομαι (τη διαφορά μεταξύ), ξεχωρίζω, διαφοροποιώ, χαρακτηρίζω

idioms:

• distinguish oneself    διαπρέπω, διακρίνομαι

Italiano (Italian)
distinguere

idioms:

• distinguish oneself    distinguersi

Português (Portuguese)
v. - distinguir, reconhecer

idioms:

• distinguish oneself    distinguir-se

Русский (Russian)
различать, отличать

idioms:

• distinguish oneself    прославиться

Español (Spanish)
v. tr. - distinguir, diferenciar, clasificar
v. intr. - distinguirse, diferenciarse, clasificarse

idioms:

• distinguish oneself    distinguirse, destacarse

Svenska (Swedish)
v. - särskilja, känneteckna, utmärka sig för

中文（简体）(Chinese (Simplified))
区别, 辨认出, 识别, 把...区别分类, 辨别

idioms:

• distinguish oneself    使杰出

中文（繁體）(Chinese (Traditional))
v. tr. - 區別, 辨認出, 識別, 把...區別分類
v. intr. - 區別, 辨別, 識別

idioms:

• distinguish oneself    使傑出

한국어 (Korean)
v. tr. - 식별하다, 두드러지게 하다
v. intr. - 구별하다

idioms:

• distinguish oneself    ~과 구별되다

日本語 (Japanese)
v. - 区別する, …がはっきり見える, …がわかる, 目立たせる, 特徴を示す

idioms:

• distinguish oneself    区別する

العربيه (Arabic)
‏(فعل) يميز, يفرق, يصنف, يلحظ الفرق‏

עברית (Hebrew)
v. tr. - ‮הבחין, הבדיל, ציין, אפיין‬
v. intr. - ‮הצביע על הבדל בין‬

If you are unable to view some languages clearly, click here.

To select your translation preferences click here.