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Distinguish   /dɪstˈɪŋgwɪʃ/   Listen
verb
Distinguish  v. t.  (past & past part. distinguished; pres. part. distinguishing)  
1.
Not set apart from others by visible marks; to make distinctive or discernible by exhibiting differences; to mark off by some characteristic. "Not more distinguished by her purple vest, Than by the charming features of her face." "Milton has distinguished the sweetbrier and the eglantine."
2.
To separate by definition of terms or logical division of a subject with regard to difference; as, to distinguish sounds into high and low. "Moses distinguished the causes of the flood into those that belong to the heavens, and those that belong to the earth."
3.
To recognize or discern by marks, signs, or characteristic quality or qualities; to know and discriminate (anything) from other things with which it might be confounded; as, to distinguish the sound of a drum. "We are enabled to distinguish good from evil, as well as truth from falsehood." "Nor more can you distinguish of a man, Than of his outward show."
4.
To constitute a difference; to make to differ. "Who distinguisheth thee?"
5.
To separate from others by a mark of honor; to make eminent or known; to confer distinction upon; with by or for."To distinguish themselves by means never tried before."
Synonyms: To mark; discriminate; differentiate; characterize; discern; perceive; signalize; honor; glorify.


Distinguish  v. i.  
1.
To make distinctions; to perceive the difference; to exercise discrimination; with between; as, a judge distinguishes between cases apparently similar, but differing in principle.
2.
To become distinguished or distinctive; to make one's self or itself discernible. (R.) "The little embryo... first distinguishes into a little knot."





Collaborative International Dictionary of English 0.48


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"Distinguish" Quotes from Famous Books



... and the fountain forms the centre of a little clearing where the moss is thick at all seasons and starred in August with wild pinks. The water, though deep, is deliciously clear. At a depth of more than six feet you can distinguish the dead leaves at the bottom, the grass, the twigs, and here and there a stone's iridescent outline. They all lie asleep there, the waste of seasons gone by, soon to be covered by others in their turn. From time to time out of the depths of these submerged thickets an eft darts up. He comes ...
— Serge Panine • Georges Ohnet
... I shall, I fear, have contradictors, but I address myself to those who look for truth. To judge impartially we must take into account the influence which time and circumstances exercise on men; and distinguish between the different characters of the Collegian, the General, the Consul, ...
— Memoirs of Napoleon Bonaparte, Complete • Louis Antoine Fauvelet de Bourrienne
... mark you can distinguish on the line nearest to your hand at the expiration of the allotted twenty-eight or fourteen seconds, when the man holding the glass sings out "Stop!" as the last grain of sand empties itself out of the bulb, that will be the ...
— Crown and Anchor - Under the Pen'ant • John Conroy Hutcheson
... minutes had elapsed he could distinguish the sound of voices, and a few seconds later he was running at full speed toward the person from whom he had previously ...
— Neal, the Miller - A Son of Liberty • James Otis
... revolts and kills the man who has subjugated it.... I should also like ... I shall be able to ... but I must know him, touch him, see him! Learned men say that beasts' eyes, as they differ from ours, do not distinguish like ours do ... And my eye cannot distinguish this newcomer who ...
— Library of the World's Best Mystery and Detective Stories • Edited by Julian Hawthorne


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