distinct
/dɪˈstɪŋkt/
distinct adjective: capable of being perceived very clearly.
Adjective
distinct (comparative distincter or more distinct, superlative distinctest or most distinct)
- Capable of being perceived very clearly.
- Her voice was distinct despite the heavy traffic.
- The single-imaging optic of the mammalian eye offers some distinct visual advantages. Such lenses can take in photons from a wide range of angles, increasing light sensitivity. They also have high spatial resolution, resolving incoming images in minute detail.2013 July-August, Fenella Saunders, “Tiny Lenses See the Big Picture”, in American Scientist
- Synonyms:
- clear
- Different from one another (with the preferable adposition being "from").
- Horses are distinct from zebras.
- “Yes, there are two distinct sets of footprints, both wearing rubber shoes—one I think ordinary plimsolls, the other goloshes,” replied the sergeant.1928, Lawrence R. Bourne, chapter 13, in Well Tackled!
- Noticeably different from others; distinctive.
- Olga's voice is quite distinct because of her accent.
- Synonyms:
- characteristic, distinctive, prominent
- Separate in place; not conjunct or united; with from.
- The intention was that the two armies which marched out together should afterward be distinct.1702–1704, Edward [Hyde, 1st] Earl of Clarendon, (please specify |book=I to XVI), in The History of the Rebellion and Civil Wars in England, Begun in the Year 1641. […], Oxford, Oxfordshire: Printed...
- Synonyms:
- discrete, individual, noncontinuous, separate
- Distinguished; having the difference marked; separated by a visible sign; marked out; specified.
- Wherever thus created — for no place / Is yet distinct by name.1667, John Milton, “Book VII”, in Paradise Lost. […], London: […] [Samuel Simmons], and are to be sold by Peter Parker […]; [a]nd by Robert Boulter […]; [a]nd Matthias Walker, […], →OCLC; republished...
- Synonyms:
- specified
- Marked; variegated.
- The which [place] was dight / With divers flowres distinct with rare delight.1596, Edmund Spenser, “Book VI, Canto III”, in The Faerie Queene. […], London: […] [John Wolfe] for William Ponsonbie, →OCLC, stanza 23
- Synonyms:
- patterned
Verb
distinct (third-person singular simple present distincts, present participle distincting, simple past and past participle distincted)
- To distinguish; to make a distinction.
- Here every means is made use of to do away all distincting between federal and antifederal and I suspect with no very friendly design to the federal cause.1788, James McHenry, letter to George Washington, 27 July, in The Documentary History of the First Federal Elections 1788–1790, vol. 2, ed. Gordon DenBoer, University of Wisconsin Press, 1984, page...
distinct meaning in Hindi, Tamil, Marathi and Urdu
distinct in Hindi
- different from one another
- भिन्न bhinn
- noticeably different
- विशेष viśeṣ, विशिष्ट viśiṣṭ
distinct in Tamil
- முற்றாக மாறுபட்டுள்ள, தெளிவாகத் தோன்றுகிற, எளிதில் புரிகிற, தனிப்பட்ட, தனித்துவமான
distinct in Marathi
- distinct, dissimilar, different
- न्यारे nyāre
distinct in Urdu
- distinct, different
- الگ alag
More languagesFewer languages
- distinct in Bengali
- বিশেষ biśeś
- distinct in Telugu
- భిన్నము bhinnamu
- distinct in Malayalam
- അന്യമായ, പ്രത്യേകമായ, വ്യക്തമായ
- distinct in Kannada
- ಬೇರೆ bēre
- distinct in Punjabi
- نیارا niyārā, وکھرا vakkhrā
- distinct in Sanskrit
- विचक्षण vicakṣaṇa
- distinct in Pashto
- بېل bel, جلا jëlâ
- distinct in Indonesian
- khas
Examples of distinct in a sentence
- Though legally single nations, many states comprise several distinct cultural or ethnic groups.
- In Italian, the "c" sound in "certo" as distinct from the "c" sound in "caffè".
- Canadians have mixed views concerning whether the Québécois people constitute a distinct nation.
Synonyms of distinct
- clear
- different
- separate
- characteristic
- distinctive
- prominent
- discrete
- individual
- noncontinuous
- specified
Antonyms
Forms of distinct
| Adjective | |
|---|---|
| comparative | distincter |
| comparative | more distinct |
| superlative | distinctest |
| superlative | most distinct |
| Verb | |
| third-person singular present | distincts |
| present participle | distincting |
| past participle | distincted |
| past | distincted |
Origin of distinct
From Middle English distincte, past participle of distincten (“to distinguish, discern”), from Old French destincter, from Latin distinctus, past participle of distinguere (“to distinguish”); see distinguish.
Words formed from distinct
Words that rhyme with distinct
Questions about distinct
- What does distinct mean?
- Distinct means capable of being perceived very clearly.
- What is distinct in Hindi?
- Distinct in Hindi is भिन्न (bhinn), विशेष (viśeṣ), विशिष्ट (viśiṣṭ). See Distinct meaning in Hindi.
- What part of speech is distinct?
- Distinct can be an adjective or a verb.
- How do you pronounce distinct?
- Distinct is pronounced /dɪˈstɪŋkt/.
Words near distinct in the dictionary
Source and license
Adapted from Wiktionary: distinct (page history and authors); distinct (Tamil Wiktionary) (page history and authors); न्यारे (Marathi) (page history and authors); الگ (Urdu) (page history and authors); భిన్నము (Telugu) (page history and authors); distinct (Malayalam Wiktionary) (page history and authors); ಬೇರೆ (Kannada) (page history and authors); نیارا (Punjabi) (page history and authors); विचक्षण (Sanskrit) (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.
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Pronunciation audio from Wikimedia Commons, each file under its own free license: en-us-distinct.ogg.
Cite this entry: “distinct.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/distinct. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.