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DISTINCT
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I. (adjective)
Sense 1
Meaning:
Clearly or sharply defined to the mind
Example:
trenchant distinctions between right and wrong
Synonyms:
clear-cut; distinct; trenchant
Classified under:
Similar:
clear (readily apparent to the mind)
Derivation:
distinctness (the quality of being sharp and clear)
Sense 2
Meaning:
Recognizable; marked
Example:
at a distinct (or decided) disadvantage
Synonyms:
decided; distinct
Classified under:
Similar:
definite (precise; explicit and clearly defined)
Derivation:
distinctness (the quality of being sharp and clear)
Sense 3
Meaning:
Easy to perceive; especially clearly outlined
Example:
distinct fingerprints
Classified under:
Adjectives
Similar:
chiseled; well-defined (having a clean and distinct outline as if precisely cut along the edges)
clean-cut; clear; clear-cut (clear and distinct to the senses; easily perceptible)
crisp; sharp ((of something seen or heard) clearly defined)
crystalline (distinctly or sharply outlined)
defined; outlined (showing clearly the outline or profile or boundary)
knifelike (having a sharp or distinct edge)
razor-sharp (very clearly delineated)
Also:
clear (readily apparent to the mind)
definite (precise; explicit and clearly defined)
precise (sharply exact or accurate or delimited)
Antonym:
indistinct (not clearly defined or easy to perceive or understand)
Derivation:
distinctness (the quality of being sharp and clear)
Sense 4
Meaning:
(often followed by 'from') not alike; different in nature or quality
Example:
management had interests quite distinct from those of their employees
Synonyms:
distinct; distinguishable
Classified under:
Adjectives
Similar:
different (unlike in nature or quality or form or degree)
Derivation:
distinctness (the quality of being not alike; being distinct or different from that otherwise experienced or known)
Sense 5
Meaning:
Constituting a separate entity or part
Example:
on two distinct occasions
Synonyms:
discrete; distinct
Classified under:
Adjectives
Similar:
separate (independent; not united or joint)
Derivation:
distinctness (the state of being several and distinct)
Context examples:
Cysteine biosynthesis occurs by a distinct mechanism in plants and prokaryotes.
(Biosynthesis of Cysteine Pathway, NCI Thesaurus/BIOCARTA)
While these three proteins are distinct in their sequence and physiology, and act through different cell surface receptors, they share in a common class of cell surface receptors called G-protein coupled receptors (GPCRs).
(Bioactive Peptide Signaling Pathway, NCI Thesaurus/BIOCARTA)
A primary disturbance in immunoglobulin synthesis characterized by serum that contains two distinct monoclonal immunoglobulins.
(Biclonal Gammopathy, NCI Thesaurus)
In these two distinct ways, oleuropein helps prevent the onset of disease.
(Health Benefits of Olives and Olive Oil, The Titi Tudorancea Bulletin)
They noticed two distinct effects: GAGs directly increased a chemical needed to grow new blood vessels, and also trapped low-density lipoprotein (LDL) molecules.
(New Hope for Stopping An Understudied Heart Disease in Its Tracks, The Titi Tudorancea Bulletin)
An abnormal season of intense glacial melt in 2002 triggered multiple distinct changes in the physical and biological characteristics of Antarctica's McMurdo Dry Valleys over the ensuing decade.
(Extreme melt season leads to decade-long ecosystem changes in Antarctica's Dry Valleys, National Science Foundation)
Indeed, some people have already likened the shape to a duck, with a distinct body and head.
(Rosetta Comet May Be a Contact Binary, NASA)
Most of the sulfate salts considered previously possess distinct absorptions, which serve as fingerprints for compounds, that should have been visible in the higher-quality Keck data.
(Table Salt Compound Spotted on Europa, NASA)
They were startled to notice that all the landslides originated along a distinct line.
(NASA Map Reveals a New Landslide Risk Factor, NASA)
But newly published studies from Dawn scientists show two distinct lines of evidence for ice at or near the surface of the dwarf planet.
(Where is the Ice on Ceres?, NASA)
