Meaning of different in English

different

adjective

/ˈdɪf.ɚ.ənt/ uk

/ˈdɪf.ər.ənt/

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not the same:

She seems to wear something different every day.

He's different now that he's been to college.

We're reading a different book this week.

Emily is very/completely/entirely different from her sister.

Emily and her sister are completely different.

There are many different types/kinds of bacteria.

Synonyms

dissimilar
diverse
heterogeneous formal

Thesaurus: synonyms, antonyms, and examples

different

differentI like her haircut - it's different!
dissimilarThe twins may look alike, but they are dissimilar when it comes to personality.
diverseLos Angeles is a culturally diverse city.
heterogeneousThey tested a heterogeneous population.

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informal

used when you think someone or something is unusual or shows bad judgment:

What do I think of your purple shoes? Well, they're certainly different.

More examplesFewer examples

Australia has its own cultural identity, which is very different from that of Britain.
You turn this dial to find a different radio station.
We sell 32 different flavors of ice cream.
Eggs are sorted into different sizes by a machine.
The word 'flight' has two different meanings : a plane trip, and the act of running away.

SMART Vocabulary: related words and phrases

Different and difference

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You can also find related words, phrases, and synonyms in the topics:

Unique and unusual

Related word

differently

Grammar

Different from, different to or different than?

The adjective different means ‘not the same’. When we compare two or more items, it is usually followed by from. We also use different to, especially in speaking: …

(Definition of different from the Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary & Thesaurus © Cambridge University Press)

different | Intermediate English

different

adjective

/ˈdɪf·rənt, -ər·ənt/

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not the same:

Monet and other Impressionists painted the same scene at different times of day to discover how the colors change in the different light.

The weather down here is a lot different than it is at home.

Emily is entirely different from her sister.

differently

adverb us

/ˈdɪf·rənt·li, -ər·ənt·li/

I would have done things differently if I had the chance to do them over again.

Idioms

difference of opinion

have your differences

(Definition of different from the Cambridge Academic Content Dictionary © Cambridge University Press)

Examples of different

different

How do you know she couldn't have written great music a different way?

From CNN

These two different theoretical camps both involve coupled periodic oscillations.

From Phys.Org

People want to work with someone who has a different perspective, and he really does.

From Los Angeles Times

They're negotiating to move out of different states.

From Politico

The very rich are different from you and me.

From Bloomberg

These people are playing very different games, but often using similar strategies.

From Billboard

It's one of the things that makes the show strange and different.

From WIRED

You see a very different picture when you look up north.

From Phys.Org

So far, this season has been a different kind of stunning for both teams.

From Minneapolis Star Tribune

It's a different type of movie from the originals.

From Slate Magazine

Each type has different time, skill and money requirements.

From VentureBeat

These examples are from corpora and from sources on the web. Any opinions in the examples do not represent the opinion of the Cambridge Dictionary editors or of Cambridge University Press or its licensors.

What is the pronunciation of different?