differentiate

UK: /ˌdɪfəˈrɛnʃieɪt/

US: /ˌdɪfəˈrɛnʃiˌeɪt/

US: (dif′ə ren′shē āt′)

Inflections of 'differentiate' (v): (⇒ conjugate)

differentiates

v 3rd person singular

differentiating

v pres p

differentiated

v past

differentiated

v past p

WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2025

dif•fer•en•ti•ate /ˌdɪfəˈrɛnʃiˌeɪt/   v., -at•ed, -at•ing. 

1. to form or mark differently from other such things; distinguish:
   [~ + object + from + object] The chrome trim and tinted glass differentiate the high-price model from the standard one.
2. to see, understand, recognize, or perceive the difference in or between: [~ + between]
   learned to differentiate between French and German wines.
   [~ + object + from + object]
   learned to differentiate a French wine from a German wine.

dif•fer•en•ti•a•tion /ˌdɪfəˌrɛnʃiˈeɪʃən/  n. [uncountable]

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2025

dif•fer•en•ti•ate  (dif′ə ren′shē āt′), v., -at•ed, -at•ing. 
v.t. 

1. to form or mark differently from other such things;
   distinguish.
2. to change;
   alter.
3. to perceive the difference in or between.
4. to make different by modification, as a biological species.
5. Mathematics to obtain the differential or the derivative of.

v.i. 

6. to become unlike or dissimilar;
   change in character.
7. to make a distinction.
8. [Biol.] (of cells or tissues) to change from relatively generalized to specialized kinds, during development.

• Medieval Latin differentiātus distinguished (past participle of differentiāre), equivalent. to Latin different(ia) difference + -ātus -ate¹
• 1810–20

Synonyms

• 1. set off. See distinguish. 
• 3. separate.

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

differentiate / ˌdɪfəˈrɛnʃɪˌeɪt/ verb

1. (transitive) to serve to distinguish between
2. when intr, often followed by between: to perceive, show, or make a difference (in or between); discriminate
3. (intransitive) to become dissimilar or distinct
4. to perform a differentiation on (a quantity, expression, etc)
5. (intransitive) (of unspecialized cells, etc) to change during development to more specialized forms

ˌdifferˈentiˌator noun