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differentiate

   Also found in: Medical, Encyclopedia, Wikipedia, Hutchinson 0.02 sec.
dif·fer·en·ti·ate  (df-rnsh-t)
v. dif·fer·en·ti·at·ed, dif·fer·en·ti·at·ing, dif·fer·en·ti·ates
v.tr.
1. To constitute the distinction between: subspecies that are differentiated by the markings on their wings.
2. To perceive or show the difference in or between; discriminate.
3. To make different by alteration or modification.
4. Mathematics To calculate the derivative or differential of (a function).
v.intr.
1. To become distinct or specialized; acquire a different character.
2. To make distinctions; discriminate.
3. Biology To undergo differentiation.

differentiate
Verb
[-ating, -ated]
1. to perceive or show the difference (between)
2. to make (one thing) distinct from other such things
3. Maths to determine the derivative of a function or variable
differentiation n
ThesaurusLegend:  Synonyms Related Words Antonyms
Verb1.differentiate - mark as different; "We distinguish several kinds of maple"
know - be able to distinguish, recognize as being different; "The child knows right from wrong"
identify, place - recognize as being; establish the identity of someone or something; "She identified the man on the 'wanted' poster"
discriminate, know apart - recognize or perceive the difference
label - distinguish (an element or atom) by using a radioactive isotope or an isotope of unusual mass for tracing through chemical reactions
label - distinguish (as a compound or molecule) by introducing a labeled atom
sex - tell the sex (of young chickens)
individualise, individualize - make or mark or treat as individual; "The sounds were individualized by sharpness and tone"
contrast - put in opposition to show or emphasize differences; "The middle school teacher contrasted her best student's work with that of her weakest student"
severalise, severalize - distinguish or separate
contradistinguish - distinguish by contrasting qualities
decouple, dissociate - regard as unconnected; "you must dissociate these two events!"; "decouple our foreign policy from ideology"
demarcate - separate clearly, as if by boundaries
discriminate, single out, separate - treat differently on the basis of sex or race
stratify - divide society into social classes or castes; "Income distribution often stratifies a society"
2.differentiate - be a distinctive feature, attribute, or trait; sometimes in a very positive sense; "His modesty distinguishes him from his peers"
mark - designate as if by a mark; "This sign marks the border"
characterize, characterise, qualify - describe or portray the character or the qualities or peculiarities of; "You can characterize his behavior as that of an egotist"; "This poem can be characterized as a lament for a dead lover"
characterise, characterize - be characteristic of; "What characterizes a Venetian painting?"
3.differentiate - calculate a derivative; take the derivative
math, mathematics, maths - a science (or group of related sciences) dealing with the logic of quantity and shape and arrangement
compute, calculate, cipher, cypher, figure, reckon, work out - make a mathematical calculation or computation
integrate - calculate the integral of; calculate by integration
4.differentiate - become different during development; "cells differentiate"
develop - grow, progress, unfold, or evolve through a process of evolution, natural growth, differentiation, or a conducive environment; "A flower developed on the branch"; "The country developed into a mighty superpower"; "The embryo develops into a fetus"; "This situation has developed over a long time"
dedifferentiate - lose specialization in form or function
5.differentiate - evolve so as to lead to a new species or develop in a way most suited to the environment
evolve - undergo development or evolution; "Modern man evolved a long time ago"
6.differentiate - become distinct and acquire a different character
dissimilate - become dissimilar or less similar; "These two related tribes of people gradually dissimilated over time"

differentiate
verb 1. distinguish, separate, discriminate, contrast, discern, mark off, make a distinction, tell apart, set off or apart
verb 2. make different, separate, distinguish, characterize, single out, segregate, individualize, mark off, set apart, set off or apart
verb 3. become different, change, convert, transform, alter, adapt, modify
Translations
Spanish differentiate [dɪfəˈrɛnʃɪeɪt] vtdistinguir
vidiferenciarse;
to differentiate between → distinguir entre

French differentiate [dɪfəˈrɛnʃɪeɪt] differ vtdifférencier
vise différencier;
to differentiate between → faire une différence entre

German differentiate [dɪfəˈrɛnʃɪeɪt] differ vi to differentiate (between) → unterscheiden (zwischen) vt to differentiate A from B → A von B unterscheiden
Italian differentiate [dɪfəˈrɛnʃɪeɪt] vidifferenziarsi;
to differentiate between → discriminare fra, fare differenza fra

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? Mentioned in ? References in classic literature
 
The point was that Michael had been trained, from his first dawn of consciousness, to differentiate between black men and white men.
Asked to differentiate between European and Chinese poetry, some critics would perhaps insist upon their particular colour sense, instancing the curious fact that where we see blue to them it often appears green, and vice versa, or the tone theories that make their poems so difficult to understand; in fact, a learned treatise would be written on these lines, to prove that the Chinese poets were not human beings as we understand humanity at all.
Men of character always differentiate their long letters, however illegibly they may write.
 
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