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difference

dif·fer·ence
D d

Transcription

    • US Pronunciation
    • US IPA
    • UK Pronunciation
    • UK IPA
    • [dif-er-uh ns, dif-ruh ns]
    • /ˈdɪf ər əns, ˈdɪf rəns/
    • /ˈdɪfrəns/
    • US Pronunciation
    • US IPA
    • [dif-er-uh ns, dif-ruh ns]
    • /ˈdɪf ər əns, ˈdɪf rəns/

Definitions of difference word

  • noun difference the state or relation of being different; dissimilarity: There is a great difference between the two. 1
  • noun difference an instance or point of unlikeness or dissimilarity: What accounts for the differences in their behavior? 1
  • noun difference a significant change in or effect on a situation: His tact makes a difference in the way people accept his suggestions. 1
  • noun difference a distinguishing characteristic; distinctive quality, feature, etc.: The difference in the two products is quality. 1
  • noun difference the degree to which one person or thing differs from another. 1
  • noun difference the act of distinguishing; discrimination; distinction. 1
See all 52 definitions of difference

Information block about the term

Origin of difference

First appearance:

before 1300
One of the 15% oldest English words
1300-50; Middle English (< Anglo-French) < Latin differentia, equivalent to different- carrying different ways (see different) + -ia -ia; see -ence

Historical Comparancy

Parts of speech for Difference

noun
adjective
verb
adverb
pronoun
preposition
conjunction
determiner
exclamation
Full grammatical hierarchy of Difference

difference popularity

A common word. It’s meaning is known to most children of preschool age. About 94% of English native speakers know the meaning and use the word.
Most Europeans know this English word. The frequency of it’s usage is somewhere between "mom" and "screwdriver".

difference usage trend in Literature

This diagram is provided by Google Ngram Viewer

Synonyms for difference

noun difference

  • diversity — the state or fact of being diverse; difference; unlikeness: diversity of opinion.
  • characteristic — The characteristics of a person or thing are the qualities or features that belong to them and make them recognizable.
  • divergence — the act, fact, or amount of diverging: a divergence in opinion.
  • variation — the act, process, or accident of varying in condition, character, or degree: Prices are subject to variation.
  • contrast — A contrast is a great difference between two or more things which is clear when you compare them.

verb difference

  • get wise to — having the power of discerning and judging properly as to what is true or right; possessing discernment, judgment, or discretion.
  • know what's what — to know how one thing or things in general work
  • tell apart — distinguish between
  • pick out — to choose or select from among a group: to pick a contestant from the audience.
All 96 Synonyms of difference

Antonyms for difference

noun difference

  • sameness — the state or quality of being the same; identity; uniformity.
  • similarity — the state of being similar; likeness; resemblance.
  • likeness — a representation, picture, or image, especially a portrait: to draw a good likeness of Churchill.
  • as usual — You use as usual to indicate that you are describing something that normally happens or that is normally the case.
  • regularity — usual; normal; customary: to put something in its regular place.
All 21 Antonyms of difference

Top questions with difference

  • what is the difference bee?
  • what is the difference between?
  • what is the difference?
  • what is the difference between mass and weight?
  • what is the time difference between?
  • what is the difference between speed and velocity?
  • what is the difference between a primary and a caucus?
  • what is the difference between a hypothesis and a theory?
  • what is the difference between a psychopath and a sociopath?
  • what is the difference between affect and effect?
  • what is the difference between weather and climate?
  • what a difference a day makes?
  • what is the difference between chow mein and lo mein?
  • what s the difference?
  • what is the difference between indica and sativa?

Related words

  • differential

    of or relating to difference or diversity.

  • distinction

    a marking off or distinguishing as different: His distinction of sounds is excellent.

  • slip

    to move, flow, pass, or go smoothly or easily; glide; slide: Water slips off a smooth surface.

  • spread

    to draw, stretch, or open out, especially over a flat surface, as something rolled or folded (often followed by out).

  • balance

    If you balance something somewhere, or if it balances there, it remains steady and does not fall.

  • phoneme

    any of a small set of units, usually about 20 to 60 in number, and different for each language, considered to be the basic distinctive units of speech sound by which morphemes, words, and sentences are represented. They are arrived at for any given language by determining which differences in sound function to indicate a difference in meaning, so that in English the difference in sound and meaning between pit and bit is taken to indicate the existence of different labial phonemes, while the difference in sound between the unaspirated p of spun and the aspirated p of pun, since it is never the only distinguishing feature between two different words, is not taken as ground for setting up two different p phonemes in English. Compare distinctive feature (def 1).
All related words to difference

See also

Matching words

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