distinguish
- 01 B2 Upper Intermediate
to notice or understand the difference between two things.
to perceive or identify a difference between two or more entities. Often used with 'between' or 'from'.
Simple“At this distance, it is hard to distinguish the real diamond from the glass one.”
In context“Young children often find it difficult to distinguish between their own imaginative play and reality, especially when they are tired.”
UsageCommonly takes the preposition 'between' or 'from'.
PitfallIt is hard to distinguish the twins with each other. It is hard to distinguish the twins from each other.Use 'distinguish from' or 'distinguish between', not 'with'.
Synonyms - 02 C1 Advanced
to see, hear, or recognize something clearly when it is difficult to do so.
to perceive a specific stimulus clearly through the senses, typically against a background of noise or visual clutter.
Simple“Through the thick fog, we could just distinguish the shape of a tall building.”
In context“The witness struggled to distinguish the suspect's facial features in the grainy security footage provided by the police.”
UsageOften used with 'can' or 'could' to describe ability.
- 03 C1 Advanced
to do something so well that people notice you as being special or better than others.
to make oneself prominent or worthy of special recognition through specific achievements. Reflexive use is standard.
Simple“She distinguished herself as a brave reporter during the war.”
In context“The young scientist distinguished himself early in his career by publishing a groundbreaking paper on renewable energy.”
UsageAlmost always used reflexively (distinguish oneself).
Usage distinguish type · reliably distinguish
“The resulting fMRI scans showed distinct activity patterns for fear, anger, and sadness, suggesting that dogs can distinguish between these facial expressions.”
“Once the points have been merged, we cannot distinguish between them to send them back to the right positions.”
From Middle English distingwen, from Old French distinguer, from Latin distinguere (“to separate, divide, distinguish, set off, adorn, literally mark off”), from di-, dis- (“apart”) + stinguere, related to English stink. Compare extinguish.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.