- the act or an instance of distinguishing or differentiating
- a distinguishing feature
- the state of being different or distinguishable
- special honour, recognition, or fame
- excellence of character; distinctive qualities
- distinguished appearance
- a symbol of honour or rank
WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2024
dis•tinc•tion /dɪˈstɪŋkʃən/USA pronunciation
n.
WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2024- [uncountable] the act of distinguishing as different.
- the recognizing of differences between two things:[countable]old enough to make a distinction between right and wrong.
- a discrimination or act of choosing between things:[uncountable]Death comes to all without distinction.
- the condition of being different;
difference:[countable]the distinction between talk and action. - a distinguishing quality or characteristic:[countable]It has the distinction of being the oldest house in town.
- the act of distinguishing or treating with special favor:[uncountable]She has become a painter of great distinction.
- marked superiority;
excellence:[uncountable]He passed all his exams with distinction.
dis•tinc•tion
(di stingk′shən),USA pronunciation n.
dis•tinc′tion•less, adj.
- a marking off or distinguishing as different:His distinction of sounds is excellent.
- the recognizing or noting of differences;
discrimination:to make a distinction between right and wrong. - a discrimination made between things as different;
special regard or favoritism:Death comes to all without distinction. - condition of being different;
difference:There is a distinction between what he says and what he does. - a distinguishing quality or characteristic:It has the distinction of being the oldest house in the town.
- a distinguishing or treating with special honor, attention, or favor.
- an act of bestowing, or a mark of, honor or favor.
- marked superiority;
note;
eminence. - distinguished appearance.
- [Obs.]division;
separation.
- Latin distinctiōn- (stem of distinctiō), equivalent. to distinct(us) (see distinct) + -iōn- -ion
- Anglo-French)
- Middle English distinccioun (1175–1225
- 3.See corresponding entry in Unabridged Distinction and difference may both refer to perceivable dissimilarities and, in this meaning, may be used interchangeably:There is a distinction(difference) between the two. Distinction, however, usually suggests the perception of dissimilarity, as the result of analysis and discrimination:a carefully made distinction between two treatments of the same theme;
whereas difference refers only to the condition of being dissimilar:the difference between Gothic and Roman architecture."A distinction without a difference'' is a way of referring to an artificial or false discrimination. - 7.See corresponding entry in Unabridged See honor.
- 8.See corresponding entry in Unabridged renown, importance.
- 4.See corresponding entry in Unabridged resemblance.
Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::
distinction /dɪˈstɪŋkʃən/ n
'distinction' also found in these entries (note: many are not synonyms or translations):
-enne
- Ms
- accent
- adorn
- again
- alerion
- ambition
- amount
- and/or
- anonymous
- articulate
- bear
- behalf
- belted
- big bang
- blonde
- blue ribbon
- brilliance
- cachet
- caliber
- calibre
- casuist
- casuistry
- celebrity
- championship
- color line
- common
- consequence
- continual
- contradistinction
- contrast
- cordon bleu
- credit
- crown
- decorate
- degree
- demarcation
- diacritical
- diction
- dieresis
- difference
- differential
- differentiate
- dignify
- discriminant
- discriminate
- discrimination
- distinguished
- distingué
- distinguée