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DIFFERENCE
| Pronunciation (US): |  | (GB): | |
I. (noun)
Sense 1
Meaning:
The quality of being unlike or dissimilar
Example:
there are many differences between jazz and rock
Classified under:
Nouns denoting attributes of people and objects
Hypernyms ("difference" is a kind of...):
quality (an essential and distinguishing attribute of something or someone)
Attribute:
different (unlike in nature or quality or form or degree)
Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "difference"):
distinctness; otherness; separateness (the quality of being not alike; being distinct or different from that otherwise experienced or known)
differential (a quality that differentiates between similar things)
differentia (distinguishing characteristics (especially in different species of a genus))
distinction (a distinguishing difference between similar things or people)
disagreement; discrepancy; divergence; variance (a difference between conflicting facts or claims or opinions)
dissimilarity; unsimilarity (the quality of being dissimilar)
change; variety (a difference that is usually pleasant)
inequality (lack of equality)
Antonym:
sameness (the quality of being alike)
Derivation:
differ (be different)
different (unlike in nature or quality or form or degree)
differential (relating to or showing a difference)
differentiate (become distinct and acquire a different character)
differentiate (become different during development)
differentiate (mark as different)
differentiate (be a distinctive feature, attribute, or trait; sometimes in a very positive sense)
Sense 2
Meaning:
A disagreement or argument about something important
Example:
the familiar conflict between Republicans and Democrats
Synonyms:
conflict; difference; difference of opinion; dispute
Classified under:
Nouns denoting communicative processes and contents
Hypernyms ("difference" is a kind of...):
disagreement (the speech act of disagreeing or arguing or disputing)
Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "difference"):
collision (a conflict of opposed ideas or attitudes or goals)
arguing; argument; contention; contestation; controversy; disceptation; disputation; tilt (a contentious speech act; a dispute where there is strong disagreement)
gap (a difference (especially an unfortunate difference) between two opinions or two views or two situations)
dustup; quarrel; row; run-in; words; wrangle (an angry dispute)
Derivation:
differ (be of different opinions)
Sense 3
Meaning:
A variation that deviates from the standard or norm
Example:
the deviation from the mean
Synonyms:
departure; deviation; difference; divergence
Classified under:
Hypernyms ("difference" is a kind of...):
fluctuation; variation (an instance of change; the rate or magnitude of change)
Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "difference"):
discrepancy; variance; variant (an event that departs from expectations)
driftage (the deviation (by a vessel or aircraft) from its intended course due to drifting)
flection; flexion; inflection (deviation from a straight or normal course)
Derivation:
differentiate (become distinct and acquire a different character)
differentiate (mark as different)
differentiate (be a distinctive feature, attribute, or trait; sometimes in a very positive sense)
Sense 4
Meaning:
The number that remains after subtraction; the number that when added to the subtrahend gives the minuend
Synonyms:
difference; remainder
Classified under:
Nouns denoting quantities and units of measure
Hypernyms ("difference" is a kind of...):
number (a concept of quantity involving zero and units)
Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "difference"):
balance (the difference between the totals of the credit and debit sides of an account)
Sense 5
Meaning:
A significant change
Example:
his support made a real difference
Classified under:
Nouns denoting relations between people or things or ideas
Hypernyms ("difference" is a kind of...):
change (a relational difference between states; especially between states before and after some event)
Derivation:
differential (relating to or showing a difference)
differentiate (become distinct and acquire a different character)
differentiate (become different during development)
Context examples:
It was the same, the very same man, with no difference but of dress.
(Persuasion, by Jane Austen)
Children can get cancer in the same parts of the body as adults, but there are differences.
(Cancer in Children, NIH: National Cancer Institute)
I think Mr. Morland would acknowledge a difference.
(Northanger Abbey, by Jane Austen)
A key goal of the Cancer Research Network project is identifying the patient, treatment and delivery system factors that may make a difference in health outcomes for cancer.
(Cancer Research Network, NCI Thesaurus)
Wood and Briggs, look at the difference!
(Jane Eyre, by Charlotte Brontë)
We had a little difference at first.
(The Lost World, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)
You will notice the difference—enjoy the new chapter of life you are starting now.
(AstrologyZone.com, by Susan Miller)
A question about the difference in an individual's breast elevation between the treated and untreated breast since treatment for breast cancer.
(Breast Elevation Difference Since Cancer Treatment, NCI Thesaurus)
"And Hume's mind was the same as yours, with this difference: he was wise enough to admit there was no answering Berkeley."
(Martin Eden, by Jack London)
Differences in the human nose may have accumulated among populations through time as a result of a random process called genetic drift.
(Nose Form Was Shaped by Climate, The Titi Tudorancea Bulletin)
