differ
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differ¹
- /ˈdɪfə/ UK
- /ˈdɪfɚ/ US
Rhymes with -ɪfə(ɹ)
Where it comes from
From Middle English differren, from Old French differer, from Latin differō (“carry apart, put off, defer; differ”), from dis- (“apart”) + ferō (“carry, bear”). Compare Ancient Greek διαφέρω (diaphérō). Doublet of defer and dilate, see also infer, confer and collate, refer and relate, as well as prefer and prelate among others.
verb differs · differing · differed
- Not to have the same traits or characteristics; to be unalike or distinct. When we look to the individuals of the same variety or sub-variety of our older cultivated plants and animals, one of the first points which strikes us, is, that they generally differ much more from each other, than do the individuals of any one species or variety in a state of nature.
- To be separated in quantity. The numbers 3 and 21 differ by 18.
- To have diverging opinions, disagree. May 11, 1827, George Canning, Changes in the Administration I differ from the honourable baronet on both these subjects
Similar: ablude, differ, dissent, mismatch, vary · Opposite: match, conform
differ²
- /ˈdɪfə/ UK
- /ˈdɪfɚ/ US
Rhymes with -ɪfə(ɹ)
noun differs
-
A program that diffs, a diff.
Similar: diff
Thesaurus
Closest in meaning: disagree, take issue, deviate, separate, withhold, divergence, derogate, difference, delay, postpone, defer, distinguish, differentiate, diverge, suspend, depend
Translations
Every language
verb not to have the same characteristics
| Español | diferir, diferecer, distar |
|---|---|
| 한국어 | 다르다 dareuda |
| 日本語 | 異なる kotonaru, 違う chigau |
| 中文 | 不同 bùtóng, 差別 /差别 chābié, 不一樣 /不一样 bù yīyàng |
| Português | diferir |
| Français | différer |
| Deutsch | sich unterscheiden, abweichen, differieren, verschieden sein, nicht übereinstimmen |
| Italiano | differire, essere differente, essere diverso |
| Ελληνικά | διαφέρω diaféro |
| Русский | отлича́ться otličátʹsja, отличи́ться otličítʹsja, различа́ться različátʹsja, различи́ться različítʹsja |
| Tiếng Việt | khác, không giống |
| العربية | اِخْتَلَفَ iḵtalafa |
verb to have diverging opinions, disagree
| Español | diferir |
|---|---|
| 中文 | 异议 yì yì |
| Kiswahili | kukhitalifiana |
| Português | divergir |
| Français | différer |
| Deutsch | unterschiedlicher Meinung sein, sich uneinig sein, streiten, verschiedener Meinung sein, anderer Meinung sein, uneinig werden |
| Ελληνικά | διαφέρω diaféro |
| Русский | расходи́ться во мне́ниях rasxodítʹsja vo mnénijax |
| العربية | اِخْتَلَفَ iḵtalafa |
Talk about this word "differ." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/differ. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. differ. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/differ "differ." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/differ.Cite this
@misc{differ_2026,
title = {differ},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/differ},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
