distinguish
/dɪ'stɪŋ.gwɪʃ/
verb
A [I or T] [not continuous]
* to notice or understand the difference between two things, or to make one person or thing seem different from another
区分，分辨；使有所区别

1. He's colour-blind and can't distinguish (the difference) between red and green easily.
他是色盲，很难分清红色和绿色（的不同）。

2. I sometimes have difficulty distinguishing Spanish from Portuguese.
我有时很难分清西班牙语和葡萄牙语。

3. It's important to distinguish between business and pleasure.
分清哪是正事、哪是娱乐非常重要。

4. It's not the beauty so much as the range of his voice that distinguishes him from other tenors.
他与其他男高音大不相同，并非因为他那华美的声音，而是他宽广的音域。

distinguish yourself [R]
* to do something so well that you are admired and praised for it
使自己出类拔萃，表现突出

1. He distinguished himself in British theatre at a very early age.
他很小时就在英国戏剧界崭露头角。

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distinguish ★★☆☆☆

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☞ distinguish
dis·tin·guish / di5stiN^wiF / verb1. ~ (between) A and B | ~ A from B to recognize the difference between two people or things
   区分；辨别；分清
   SYN  differentiate :
  ▪ [V]
   At what age are children able to distinguish between right and wrong?
   儿童到什么年龄才能明辨是非？
  ▪ [VN]
   It was hard to distinguish one twin from the other.
   很难分辨出一对孪生儿谁是谁。
   Sometimes reality and fantasy are hard to distinguish.
   有时候现实和幻想很难区分。
2. [VN] (not used in the progressive tenses 不用于进行时) ~ A (from B) to be a characteristic that makes two people, animals or things different
   成为…的特征；使具有…的特色；使有别于:
   What was it that distinguished her from her classmates?
   是什么使得她有别于班上其他同学呢？
   The male bird is distinguished from the female by its red beak.
   雄鸟喙红色,有别于雌鸟。
   Does your cat have any distinguishing marks?
   你的猫有什么特殊标记吗？
3. [VN] (not used in the progressive tenses 不用于进行时) to be able to see or hear sth
   看清；认出；听出
   SYN  differentiate , make out :
   I could not distinguish her words, but she sounded agitated.
   我听不清她说的话,但听得出她很激动。
⇨ note at identify
4. [VN] ~ yourself (as sth) to do sth so well that people notice and admire you
   使出众；使著名；使受人青睐:
   She has already distinguished herself as an athlete.
   作为运动员她已享有盛名。
• dis·tin·guish·able / di5stiN^wiFEbl / adj. ~ (from sb / sth)
   : The male bird is easily distinguishable from the female.
   这种鸟很容易辨认雌雄。
   The coast was barely distinguishable in the mist.
   在雾中很难看清海岸。

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distinguish verb

• ADVERB clearly, sharply | carefully | easily, readily The adult bird can be readily ~ed by its orange bill. | accurately, reliably Troops cannot always reliably ~ between combatants and civilians.

• VERB + DISTINGUISH be able to, can, could, etc. | be unable to | be difficult to, be hard to, be impossible to, be possible to | be important to, be necessary to It is important to ~ between cause and effect.

• PREPOSITION between It is often difficult to ~ clearly between fact and fiction in this book. | from She could not ~ one child from another.

• PHRASES have difficulty ~ing, have difficulty in ~ing, have trouble ~ing Small children have difficulty ~ing fiction from reality.

Distinguish is used with these nouns as the subject: feature
Distinguish is used with these nouns as the object: category, shape, type

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distinguish verb
⇨ distinguish 1 (distinguish between right and wrong) ⇨ distinguish 2 (what distinguishes humans from animals)distinguish¹

verb

distinguish between right and wrong 辨别是非The power of speech distinguishes humans from animals. 语言能力使得人类有别于动物。identifyI could not distinguish her words.distinguish ♦︎ differentiate ♦︎ tellThese words all mean to recognize the difference between two people or things. 这些词均表示区分或辨别两者的差异。PATTERNS AND COLLOCATIONS 句型和搭配◆to distinguish / differentiate / tell A from B◆to distinguish / differentiate between A and B◆to easily distinguish / differentiate / tell sb / sth◆to clearly / sharply / carefully distinguish / differentiate sb / sth■ distinguish [intransitive, transitive] (not used in the progressive tenses 不用于进行时) (rather formal) to recognize or show the difference between people or things 区分；辨别；分清◆At what age are children able to distinguish between right and wrong?儿童到什么年龄才能辨别是非？◆Sometimes reality and fantasy are hard to distinguish.有时候现实和幻想很难区分。  see also distinction ⇨ difference , discern ⇨ identify ■ differentiate ˌdɪfəˈrenʃieɪt [intransitive, transitive] (not used in the progressive tenses 不用于进行时) (rather formal, especially written) to distinguish between people or things 区分；区别；辨别◆She can just differentiate between light and dark.她勉强能区分明暗。◆Birds are able to differentiate colours.鸟类能够辨别不同的颜色。NOTE 辨析 Distinguish or differentiate?There is very little difference in meaning or use between these words. Distinguish is more frequent and more general; differentiate is slightly more formal, used more in scientific matters than in matters of human judgement. 这两个词在含义和用法上差别很小，只是distinguish更常用和宽泛，differentiate稍正式，更多用于科学问题而非人的判断◆differentiate between right and wrong ◆Sometimes reality and fantasy are hard to differentiate. ■ tell (told, told) [transitive, no passive] (not used in the progressive tenses 不用于进行时) to recognize the difference between two people or things 分辨；区分；辨认◆It was hard to tell the difference between the two versions.很难分辨出这两个版本有什么区别。◆I can't tell one twin from the other.我分不清这对双胞胎谁是谁。◆It's difficult to tell them apart.很难把他们区分开来。◆The kittens looked exactly alike－how could you tell which was which?这些小猫看上去一模一样，你怎么能分辨出哪只是哪只呢？ⓘ You say tell the difference between A and B (two things) or tell A and B apart, not 'tell between A and B'. 要说tell the difference between A and B或tell A and B apart，不能说tell between A and B◆It's difficult to tell between them. distinguish²

verb

distinguish between right and wrong 辨别是非The power of speech distinguishes humans from animals. 语言能力使得人类有别于动物。identifyI could not distinguish her words.distinguish ♦︎ set sb/sth apart ♦︎ differentiateThese words all mean to be the characteristic that makes two people, animals or things different. 这些词均表示具有与他者区分开来的特征。PATTERNS AND COLLOCATIONS 句型和搭配◆to distinguish / set apart / differentiate A from B◆a feature distinguishes / sets apart / differentiates A from B◆a factor distinguishes / differentiates A from B■ distinguish [transitive] (not used in the progressive tenses 不用于进行时) (rather formal, especially written) to be a characteristic that makes two people, animals or things different 成为⋯的特征；使有别于◆What was it that distinguished her from her classmates?是什么使得她有别于班上其他同学呢？◆Does your cat have any distinguishing marks?你的猫有什么特殊标记吗？◆The power of speech distinguishes human beings from animals.语言能力使得人类有别于动物。  see also distinction ⇨ difference ■ ˌset sb/sth aˈpart

phrasal verb

(setting, set, set) (not used in the progressive tenses 不用于进行时) to be a characteristic that makes sb/sth different from or better than others 使与众不同；使突出；使优于◆Her clear and elegant writing sets her apart from other journalists.她那清丽典雅的文章使她比别的记者高出一筹。■ differentiate ˌdɪfəˈrenʃieɪt [transitive] (not used in the progressive tenses 不用于进行时) (rather formal, especially written) to be a characteristic that makes two people, animals or things different 成为⋯的特征；使有别于◆The male's yellow beak differentiates it from the female.雄鸟那黄色的喙是与雌鸟相区别的主要特征。NOTE 辨析 Distinguish or differentiate?There is little difference in meaning between these words. Distinguish is more frequent and has a wider range; it is often used about differences that make sb/sth better or more interesting than sb/sth else; differentiate is more often used about scientific matters, without any suggestion of a value judgement being made. 这两个词的含义非常接近，只是distinguish使用频率较高且语义较宽泛，常表示人或事物比他者优胜或有趣；differentiate更常用于科学问题，不含价值判断◆What was it that differentiated her from her classmates? ◆The power of speech differentiates human beings from animals.

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distinguish

verb
1 a food allergy may be difficult to distinguish from a viral infection
DIFFERENTIATE , tell apart, discriminate, discern, determine, pick out; tell the difference between, decide between, make/draw a distinction between.

2 he was able to distinguish the shapes of the trees in the dark
DISCERN , see, perceive, make out; observe, notice, spot, glimpse, catch sight of; detect, recognize, identify, pick out; formal apprehend; poetic/literary descry, espy.

3 this is what distinguishes history from other disciplines
SEPARATE , set apart, make distinctive, make different;
SINGLE OUT , mark off, demarcate, delimit, delineate; characterize, individualize, individuate, identify, designate, categorize, classify.
distinguish oneself he had distinguished himself during his university days
ATTAIN DISTINCTION , be successful, bring fame/honour to oneself, become famous, dignify oneself, glorify oneself, excel oneself, win acclaim for oneself, ennoble oneself, become lionized, become immortalized, elevate oneself.

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distinguish 区分
dis-, 分开，散开；-sting, 刺，做标记，词源同sting, stick。即分开标记，区分清楚。

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