distinguish
distinguish — verb
1. to recognise the way one person, thing, or idea differs from another; or to be t
to recognise the way one person, thing, or idea differs from another; or to be the quality that makes that difference clear.
Sana found it hard to distinguish real silk from the cheaper synthetic fabric.
distinguish + noun + from + noun
What distinguishes Gabriel's paintings is the bold use of colour and light.
distinguishing feature as subject
The teacher asked the children to distinguish between a square and a rectangle.
Putri cannot distinguish between Japanese and Korean when she hears them spoken.
It is the bird's bright yellow beak that distinguishes it from similar species.
- differentiate
more formal; implies detailed analysis of differences
- tell apart
informal, everyday equivalent; mainly for physical appearance
- set apart
focuses on what makes someone or something exceptional
- confuse
to wrongly think two things are the same
- lump together
informal; to treat different things as one group
文法句型
distinguish + noun + from + noun
distinguish + between + noun + and + noun
用法筆記
This sense works both transitively (distinguish X from Y) and with between (distinguish between X and Y). The between construction is slightly more common in British English. Sense 1 is the only sense that pairs with distinguishing feature, distinguishing characteristic, or distinguishing mark.
常見錯誤
2. to do something with such skill, courage, or excellence that you are noticed and
to do something with such skill, courage, or excellence that you are noticed and respected for it.
Kian distinguished himself as a talented pianist at the national competition.
distinguish + oneself + as + noun
Élise distinguished herself during the crisis by staying calm and directing the team.
distinguish + oneself + by + gerund
The young marine biologist distinguished herself through years of work on coral reef preservation.
Christopher hopes to distinguish himself in the field of architecture before he turns thirty.
- excel at
less formal; emphasises high performance rather than recognition
- shine in
informal; suggests natural talent
- make a name for oneself
idiomatic; focuses on building a reputation over time
- underperform
to do less well than expected
- go unnoticed
to not receive any attention or praise
文法句型
distinguish + oneself + as/in/by/for + noun/gerund
用法筆記
Almost always used reflexively — the object must be a reflexive pronoun (oneself, myself, herself, themselves, etc.). Never used without an object. The subject is always a person or group of people, never an inanimate thing.
常見錯誤
3. to manage to see, hear, or recognise something, especially when it is difficult
to manage to see, hear, or recognise something, especially when it is difficult because of distance, darkness, noise, or poor quality.
Through the thick fog, Zola could just distinguish the outline of a lighthouse.
could + distinguish + noun (visual, low visibility)
Abigail could not distinguish the words of the song over the loud crowd noise.
could not + distinguish + noun (auditory, noise)
From the hilltop, Wren was able to distinguish three ships on the horizon.
Yuna could barely distinguish her mother's face in the dim candlelight.
The recording was so poor that no one could distinguish what the speaker was saying.
文法句型
can/could + distinguish + noun
be able to + distinguish + noun
用法筆記
Almost always used with can, could, or be able to. The perceptual difficulty — distance, darkness, noise, poor quality — should be stated or clearly implied; without this context the sentence may sound unnatural.