difference
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difference
- /ˈdɪf.(ə.)ɹəns/ UK
- /ˈdɪf.(ə.)ɹəns/ US
- /ˈdɪf.(ə.)ɹəns/ Australia
- /ˈdəf.(ə.)ɹəns/ New Zealand
Where it comes from
From Middle English difference, from Old French difference, from Latin differentia (“difference”), from differēns (“different”), present participle of differre. Doublet of differentia. Morphologically differ + -ence.
noun differences
- The quality of being different. You need to learn to be more tolerant of difference.
-
A characteristic of something that makes it different from something else.
There are three differences between these two pictures.
Similar: departure, deviation, divergence, disparity
-
A disagreement or argument.
We have our little differences, but we are firm friends.
Similar: conflict, difference of opinion, dispute, dissension
-
Significant change in or effect on a situation or state.
It just won't make much difference to me.
Similar: nevermind
-
The result of a subtraction; sometimes the absolute value of this result.
The difference between 3 and 21 is 18.
Similar: remainder
- Choice; preference. That now be chooseth with vile difference To be a beast, and lack intelligence.
- An addition to a coat of arms to distinguish two people's bearings which would otherwise be the same. See augmentation and cadency.
- The quality or attribute which is added to those of the genus to constitute a species; a differentia.
- A Boolean operation which is true when the two input variables are different but is otherwise false; the XOR operation ( scriptstyle A◌̅B+◌̅AB).
- The set of elements that are in one set but not another ( scriptstyle A◌̅B).
Similar: difference, differentiation, differentness, distinction, distinguishedness, nonidentity, unidenticality, diversity · Opposite: identity, identicality, identicalness, sameness
verb differences · differencing · differenced
-
To distinguish or differentiate.
This simple spectation of the lungs is differenced from that which concomitates a pleurisy.
Similar: differentiate, distinguish
- to modify a heraldic emblem so as to distinguish one branch of a house from another
Thesaurus
Closest in meaning: divergence, deviation, dispute, conflict, departure, otherness, differential, different, differentiation, differing, contradistinction, distinctness, distinctiveness, differentiator, differentiate, distinguish
noun
Similar: difference, differentiation, differentness, distinction, distinguishedness, nonidentity, unidenticality, diversity · Opposite: identity, identicality, identicalness, sameness
Translations
Every language
noun quality of being different
| Español | diferencia, discrimen |
|---|---|
| 한국어 | 차이 chai, 다름 dareum |
| 日本語 | 違い chigai, 差異 sai |
| 中文 | 差別 /差别 chābié, 差異 /差异 chāyì |
| हिन्दी | अंतर antar, भेद bhed, फ़र्क़ farq, प्रभेद prabhed, अवकल avkal |
| Kiswahili | tofauti |
| Português | diferença |
| Français | différence |
| Deutsch | Unterschied, Unterscheidung, Andersartigkeit, Anderssein |
| Italiano | differenza |
| Ελληνικά | διαφορά diaforá |
| Română | diferență |
| Русский | разли́чие razlíčije, отли́чие otlíčije, ра́зница ráznica |
| Tiếng Việt | sự khác nhau |
| العربية | فَرْق farq, اِخْتِلَاف iḵtilāf, تَفَاوُت tafāwut |
| עברית | שוני, שֹׁנִי shóni, הֶבְדֵּל hevdél |
noun characteristic of something that makes it different from something else
| Español | diferencia, discrimen |
|---|---|
| 한국어 | 다름 dareum, 차이 chai |
| 日本語 | 違い chigai |
| 中文 | 差別 /差别 chābié, 差異 /差异 chāyì |
| हिन्दी | विशेषता viśeṣtā, प्रभेद prabhed |
| Português | diferença |
| Français | différence |
| Deutsch | Unterschied, Differenz |
| Italiano | differenza |
| Ελληνικά | διαφορά diaforá |
| Română | diferență |
| Русский | отличи́тельная черта́ otličítelʹnaja čertá, разли́чие razlíčije |
| Tiếng Việt | sự khác biệt, sự khác nhau |
| العربية | فَرْق farq, فُرُوق furūq |
| עברית | הֶבְדֵּל hevdél |
noun disagreement or argument about something important
| Español | diferencia |
|---|---|
| हिन्दी | विभेद vibhed |
| Português | diferença |
| Français | différend |
| Deutsch | Meinungsverschiedenheit, Differenz |
| Ελληνικά | διαφορά diaforá |
| Русский | разногла́сие raznoglásije |
| Tiếng Việt | sự bất đồng |
| العربية | خِلاف ḵilāf, خِلافات |
noun arithmetic: result of a subtraction
| Español | diferencia |
|---|---|
| 한국어 | 차 cha, 차이 chai |
| 日本語 | 差 sa |
| हिन्दी | भेद bhed, अवकल avkal |
| Português | diferença, resto |
| Français | différence |
| Deutsch | Differenz |
| Italiano | differenza |
| Ελληνικά | διαφορά diaforá |
| Română | diferență |
| Русский | ра́зность ráznostʹ, ра́зница ráznica |
| Tiếng Việt | hiệu số, hiệu |
| العربية | فَرْق farq |
| עברית | הֶפְרֵשׁ hefrésh |
verb to distinguish or differentiate
| हिन्दी | अंतर करना antar karnā |
|---|---|
| Português | diferenciar |
| Deutsch | differenzieren, unterscheiden |
| Ελληνικά | διακρίνω diakríno |
| العربية | مَيَّزَ mayyaza |
| עברית | הבדיל hivdíl |
Talk about this word "difference." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/difference. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. difference. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/difference "difference." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/difference.Cite this
@misc{difference_2026,
title = {difference},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/difference},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
