Discriminate, Differentiate, Distinguish
These verbs are often used interchangeably, but they have subtle differences in their usages.
Discriminate
Discriminate means to recognize or notice that there is a difference between people or things.
It also means to treat one person better than another in an unfair way.
- It was once legal to discriminate against African Americans.
- The present law discriminates unfairly against women.
Differentiate
Differentiate means to recognize or show that two things are not the same; to state the differences between two or more things.
- The only thing that differentiates the twins is the color of their eyes.
- Birds are able to differentiate colours.
Distinguish
Distinguish means to recognize the clear difference between two people or things.
To distinguish yourself means to do something that makes you stand out and be noticed for being excellent or important.
- She could not distinguish one child from another.
- There is something about music that distinguishes it from all other art forms.
Difference between Distinguish, Differentiate, and Discriminate:-
Distinguish is used to point out the unique characteristics that make two or more thing separate from each other. The word is often used when the differences require careful observation.
To distinguish something involves sensing something—a sight, a sound, or a flavor—that is extremely difficult to detect.
Differentiate is used to identify the specific differences between two or more things. It is the act of finding and articulating differences.
Distinguish often means telling things apart by a key feature. Differentiate, however, goes further: it is the analytical process of determining and describing how they are different.
You distinguish a saxophone from a trumpet by ear. You differentiate them by analyzing and describing their differing shapes, mouthpieces, and musical roles.
To discriminate means to notice and understand a difference that is small or hard to see.
If you can discriminate between two things, you can recognize that they are different.
Think of a wine expert tasting two nearly identical wines. The ability to pick out the slight difference is discrimination.
When it comes to people, "discriminate" means something bad. It means treating someone worse because of what they look like or what they can do.
In a nutshell
Differentiate often feels slightly more analytical, while distinguish feels slightly more observational.
If you're talking about unfair treatment, use discriminate (against).
If you're talking about telling things apart, use distinguish or differentiate.
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