Meaning

That which distinguishes; a single occurrence of a determining factor or feature, the fact of being divided; separation, discrimination..

Definitions by Sense

1. That which distinguishes; a single occurrence of a determining factor or feature, the fact of being divided; separation, discrimination.
2. The act of distinguishing, discriminating; discrimination.
3. A feature that causes someone or something to stand out from others of its type.

Example Sentences

The proper course for me, gentlemen of the jury, is to deal first with the earliest charges that have been falsely brought against me, and with my earliest accursers; and then with the later ones. I make this distinction because […]

There is a distinction to be made between resting and slacking.

We must always make a distinction that right versus wrong is different from legal and illegal.

In spite of these qualifications, the broad distinction between instinct and habit is undeniable. To take extreme cases, every animal at birth can take food by instinct, before it has had opportunity to learn; on the other hand, no one can ride a bicycle by instinct, though, after learning, the necessary movements become just as automatic as if they were instinctive.

But, for practical purposes, it is possible to draw a distinction between a statement of facts observed and an expression of opinion as to the inference to be drawn from these facts, and the rule telling witnesses to state facts and not express opinions is of great value in keeping their statements out of the region of argument and conjecture.

This reflects a longtime distinction between "good Jews" and "international Jews," drawn in a 1920 article by Winston Churchill, which put in the "good category" "national Jews" assimilated into British culture and Zionist Jews in Palestine, and into the malevolent one those who fueled "this world-wide conspiracy for the overthrow of civilization."

Gedeon Van Rompay had the dubious distinction of being the only Site employee personally hired by Edwin Falkirk, former All Sections Chief and perennial piece of human trash. Lillian had found it easy not to hold this against the man, but only because there were so many other odious things about him to choose from. He was misogynist, he was chauvinistic, he was boorish, he was violent. Just about the only metric on which she rated Van Rompay higher than Falkirk was transphobia; the big man made no distinction between varieties of womanhood, feeling superior to all of them equally.

Word Forms

• distinctions

Synonyms for distinction

Antonyms for distinction

Related Words

When Should You Use Distinction?

Use distinction when its meaning, tone and grammar fit the full sentence. A synonym is not always a direct replacement.

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