From nl. differentiātus, past participle of differentiō, from Latin differentia; see difference.

• (British) IPA: /dɪf.əˈɹɛn.ʃi.eɪt/
• (America) IPA: /ˌdɪf.əˈɹɛn.ʃi.eɪt/
• (Australia) IPA: /dɪf.əˈɹen.ʃi.æɪt/

differentiate (differentiates, present participle differentiating; simple past and past participle differentiated)

1. (transitive)
   1. To modify so as to create a difference or distinction.
      • 1873, John Earle, The Philology of the English Tongue‎, second edition, page 128:

        A humble instance of Ablaut may be quoted which took place in the seventeenth century, when the word then was differentiated into the two forms then and than.

   2. To show or be the difference or distinction between two things.

      What differentiates an alligator from a crocodile?

   3. To recognize a difference or distinction between two things.

      Antonyms: conflate

      How do you differentiate a fake smile from a genuine one?

      • 1933 January 9, George Orwell [pseudonym; Eric Arthur Blair], chapter XXII, in Down and Out in Paris and London, London: Victor Gollancz […], →OCLC ↗:

        The mass of the rich and poor are differentiated by their incomes and nothing else, and the average millionaire is only the average dishwasher dressed in a new suit.

   4. (mathematics) To calculate the derivative of a function.
   5. (mathematics) To calculate the differential of a function of multiple variables.
2. (intransitive)
   1. To perceive the difference between things; to discriminate.
   2. (education) To teach a lesson in multiple different ways in order to meet the needs of more or less advanced students.
3. (transitive, intransitive, often in the passive, biology) To (cause to) go through a process of development called differentiation; to make or become different in form or function.

   Synonyms: specialize

• (to show or be the distinction between things) differentialize; see also Thesaurus:differentiate
• (to perceive the difference between things) differentialize; see also Thesaurus:tell apart
• (to modify) change, transform; see also Thesaurus:alter

• (antonym(s) of “to show the distinction between things”): equate
• (antonym(s) of “to perceive the difference between things”): mix up, muddle up
• (antonym(s) of “to modify”): leave alone, preserve

• differ
• difference
• different
• differential

• French: distinguer
• Spanish: diferenciar

• French: distinguer
• German: differenzieren, unterscheiden, diskriminieren

• French: dériver
• German: ableiten
• Portuguese: derivar
• Russian: дифференци́ровать

• French: différencier
• German: differenzieren
• Portuguese: diferenciar
• Russian: дифференци́ровать

differentiate (plural differentiates)

1. (geology) Something that has been differentiated or stratified.