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Is 'stand out from the crowd' and 'stand out in a crowd' is same or differs in usage?

Can anyone explain it to me with an example?

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As these Google 5grams show, both expressions are used.

It's easier to picture 'stand out / apart from the crowd' in a literal sense; perhaps one has to be very tall or look remarkable to 'stand out in a crowd', especially a (pre-Covid) densely packed one.

But metaphorically, any difference one can infer from structure has to be one of degree, grading to class.

  • If one stands out in a crowd, one is first (or last!) among equals.
  • But if one stands out from the crowd, there is (a strong hint, at least, of) a class difference: one is set apart, not identifiable with the standard group.

...........

  • NJ Coastal Landscaping needs a logo that stands out in the crowd.

[99Designs.com]

  • The aberrant behaviour of Venus and Mars, for instance, made them stand out from the crowd: they were not typical stars ... and in fact, not stars at all.

...........

The difficulty I've had tracking down a suitable example of 'stand out from the crowd' is indicative that in practice, the distinction between the two expressions is rarely observed, with 'stand out from the crowd' usually being used with hyperbolic broadening as a synonym of 'stand out in the crowd', 'be outstanding'. And Merriam-Webster acknowledges this:

stand out from the crowd: to be unusual in a good way

  • As a teacher, he always stood out from the crowd.
  • The high quality of these tools makes them stand out from the crowd.

The 'from' variant, usually indistinguishable in meaning from the 'in' variant, is, as the ngrams show, more commonly used.

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  • I don't really buy that "difference in degree" distinction. And non-native speakers should definitely avoid the less common preposition in here, because it simply doesn't work at all for many alternatives to the crowd (such as the others, the rest).
    – FumbleFingers
    Sep 29, 2020 at 10:36
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From and in give different meanings. That one is more frequently used is irrelevant.

From = with a sense of movement away, or separation by departure.

In = within; inside.

XXXXYXXXX - The Y stands out in the Xs

XXXXXXXX - - - Y - The Y stands out from the Xs

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  • In actual use, I've seen very little difference in meaning. Though I've already mentioned the obvious (and basic, non-ELU standard) difference in central sense associated with the prepositions, leaving the analysis there is committing the etymological fallacy.
    – Edwin Ashworth
    Sep 29, 2020 at 11:10
  • I can't agree. It is hard, if not impossible, to commit "the etymological fallacy." when the semantics rather than the origin is discussed. "He stands out / He is outstanding" is the basic meaning; "from/in the crowd" explains how it is done. Nevertheless, "from/in the crowd" often, but not always, merely serves an emphatic function but, occasionally, is a useful distinction.
    – Greybeard
    Sep 29, 2020 at 11:22
  • I'm discussing how I find it's used.
    – Edwin Ashworth
    Sep 29, 2020 at 11:25

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