noun · 9 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot
Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.
Sound
Pronunciation
Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.
Received-Pronunciation:/dɪf.əˌɹɛn.ʃiˈeɪ.ʃən/
Southern-England:Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
Canada, General-American:/ˌdɪf.əˌɹɛn.ʃiˈeɪ.ʃən/
ColoradoRecorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
Australian:/dɪf.əˌɹen.ʃiˈæɪ.ʃən/
New-Zealand:/dəf.əˌɹen.ʃiˈæɪ.ʃən/
rhymes with -eɪʃən
CMU ARPABET:D IH0 F ER0 EH2 N SH IY0 EY1 SH AH0 N
Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
CMU ARPABET 2:D IH2 F ER0 EH2 N CH IY0 EY1 SH AH0 N
Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
1
noun
Meaning 1
The act or process of differentiating (generally, without a specialized sense).
The act of treating one thing as distinct from another, or of creating such a distinction; of separating a class of things into categories; of describing a thing by illustrating how it is different from something else.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: countable, uncountable
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
2
noun
Meaning 2
The act or process of differentiating (generally, without a specialized sense).
The process of developing distinct components.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: countable, uncountable
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
3
noun
Meaning 3
The process by which the components of multicellular life (cells, organs, etc.) are produced and acquire function, as when a seed develops the root and stem, and the initial stem develops the leaf, branches, and flower buds.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: countable, uncountable
Topics: biology, natural-sciences
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
4
noun
Meaning 4
The evolutionary process by which one taxonomic group (species, genus, variety, etc.) becomes distinct from another, or acquires distinct features; the result of such a process: distinctness.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: countable, uncountable
Qualifier: evolution
Topics: biology, natural-sciences
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
5
noun
Meaning 5
The process of separation of cooling magma into various rock types.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: countable, uncountable
Topics: geography, geology, natural-sciences
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
6
noun
Meaning 6
The process of applying the derivative operator to a function; of calculating a function's derivative.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: countable, uncountable
Topics: calculus, mathematics, sciences
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
7
noun
Meaning 7
the mathematical process of obtaining the derivative of a function
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
(biology) the structural adaptation of some body part for a particular function
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
Examples
cell differentiation in the developing embryo
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: specialization, specialisation
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: adaptation, adaption, adjustment
History
Etymology
Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *dwóh1 Proto-Indo-European *d(w)is- Proto-Italic *dis- Latin dis- Proto-Indo-European *bher- Proto-Indo-European *bhéreti Proto-Italic *ferō Latin ferō Latin differō Latin differēns Proto-Indo-European *-(i)yós Proto-Italic *-ijos Proto-Italic *-ios Old Latin -ios Latin -ius Latin -ia Latin differentia New Latin differentiō New Latin differentiātusbor. English differentiate Proto-Indo-European *-tis Proto-Indo-European *-Hō Proto-Indo-European *-tiHō Proto-Italic *-tiō Latin -tiō Latin -ātiōlbor. Old French -ationbor. Middle English -acioun English -ation English -ion English differentiation From differentiate + -ion, from different + -iate, from differ + -ent, from Middle English differen, from Old French differer, from Latin differō (“carry apart, put off, defer; differ”), from dis- (“apart”) + ferō (“carry, bear”); cognate with Ancient Greek διαφέρω (diaphérō, “to differ”).
Across languages
Translations
89 source translations are retained for this English entry.
Armenian:
տարբերակում
(tarberakum)
— act of differentiating
Bulgarian:
раличаване
(raličavane)
— act of differentiating
Estonian:
eristamine
— act of differentiating
Finnish:
erilaistuminen
— act of differentiating
Finnish:
erilaistaminen
— act of differentiating
Finnish:
differentioituminen
— act of differentiating
Finnish:
differointi
— act of differentiating
Finnish:
differentiaatio
— act of differentiating
French:
différentiation
— act of differentiating
German:
Unterscheidung
— act of differentiating
Greek:
διαφοροποίηση
(diaforopoíisi)
— act of differentiating
Hebrew:
הבדלה
(havdala)
— act of differentiating
Hindi:
विभेदन
(vibhedan)
— act of differentiating
Hindi:
विभेदीकरण
(vibhedīkraṇ)
— act of differentiating
Ido:
diferencio
— act of differentiating
Italian:
differenziazione
— act of differentiating
Norman:
difféthentiâtion
— act of differentiating
Persian:
تمایز
(tamāyoz)
— act of differentiating
Persian:
برفرودی
(barforudi)
— act of differentiating
Polish:
dyferencjacja
— act of differentiating
Polish:
polaryzacja
— act of differentiating
Portuguese:
diferenciação
— act of differentiating
Romanian:
diferențiere
— act of differentiating
Russian:
разделе́ние
(razdelénije)
— act of differentiating
Russian:
разграниче́ние
(razgraničénije)
— act of differentiating
Russian:
дифференциа́ция
(differenciácija)
— act of differentiating
Scottish Gaelic:
eadar-dhealachadh
— act of differentiating
Turkish:
farklılaştırma
— act of differentiating
Turkish:
türev
— act of differentiating
Bulgarian:
разграничаване
(razgraničavane)
— act of distinguishing or describing a thing, by giving its different, or specific difference
Bulgarian:
разграничение
(razgraničenie)
— act of distinguishing or describing a thing, by giving its different, or specific difference
Danish:
differentiering
— act of distinguishing or describing a thing, by giving its different, or specific difference
Estonian:
eristamine
— act of distinguishing or describing a thing, by giving its different, or specific difference
Finnish:
erittely
— act of distinguishing or describing a thing, by giving its different, or specific difference
Finnish:
määrittely
— act of distinguishing or describing a thing, by giving its different, or specific difference
French:
différenciation
— act of distinguishing or describing a thing, by giving its different, or specific difference
German:
Differenzierung
— act of distinguishing or describing a thing, by giving its different, or specific difference
German:
Unterscheidung
— act of distinguishing or describing a thing, by giving its different, or specific difference
Greek:
αντιδιαστολή
(antidiastolí)
— act of distinguishing or describing a thing, by giving its different, or specific difference
Hindi:
विभेदन
(vibhedan)
— act of distinguishing or describing a thing, by giving its different, or specific difference
Hindi:
विभेदीकरण
(vibhedīkraṇ)
— act of distinguishing or describing a thing, by giving its different, or specific difference
Ido:
diferencio
— act of distinguishing or describing a thing, by giving its different, or specific difference
Japanese:
区別
(kubetsu)
— act of distinguishing or describing a thing, by giving its different, or specific difference
Norman:
difféthentiâtion
— act of distinguishing or describing a thing, by giving its different, or specific difference
Norwegian:
differensiering
— act of distinguishing or describing a thing, by giving its different, or specific difference
Polish:
rozróżnienie
— act of distinguishing or describing a thing, by giving its different, or specific difference
Portuguese:
diferenciação
— act of distinguishing or describing a thing, by giving its different, or specific difference
Russian:
разграниче́ние
(razgraničénije)
— act of distinguishing or describing a thing, by giving its different, or specific difference
Scottish Gaelic:
eadar-dhealachadh
— act of distinguishing or describing a thing, by giving its different, or specific difference
Swedish:
differentiering
— act of distinguishing or describing a thing, by giving its different, or specific difference
Bulgarian:
видоизменение
(vidoizmenenie)
— gradual formation or production of organs or parts by a process of evolution or development
Finnish:
erilaistuminen
— gradual formation or production of organs or parts by a process of evolution or development
Finnish:
differentiaatio
— gradual formation or production of organs or parts by a process of evolution or development
French:
différenciation
— gradual formation or production of organs or parts by a process of evolution or development
German:
Differenzierung
— gradual formation or production of organs or parts by a process of evolution or development
Hindi:
विभेदनज़्ज़्ज़्ज़्ज़्ज़्
(vibhedan)
— gradual formation or production of organs or parts by a process of evolution or development
Ido:
diferencio
— gradual formation or production of organs or parts by a process of evolution or development
Italian:
differenziazione
— gradual formation or production of organs or parts by a process of evolution or development
Japanese:
分化
(bunka)
— gradual formation or production of organs or parts by a process of evolution or development
Korean:
분화
(bunhwa)
— gradual formation or production of organs or parts by a process of evolution or development
Portuguese:
diferenciação
— gradual formation or production of organs or parts by a process of evolution or development
Russian:
дифференциро́вка
(differenciróvka)
— gradual formation or production of organs or parts by a process of evolution or development
Spanish:
diferenciación
— gradual formation or production of organs or parts by a process of evolution or development
Swedish:
differentiering
— gradual formation or production of organs or parts by a process of evolution or development
Tagalog:
pag-iiba
— gradual formation or production of organs or parts by a process of evolution or development
Finnish:
erkaantuminen
— separation of magma
Hindi:
विभेदन
(vibhedan)
— separation of magma
Polish:
dyferencjacja
— separation of magma
Bulgarian:
диференциране
(diferencirane)
— in calculus
Finnish:
derivoiminen
— in calculus
Finnish:
derivointi
— in calculus
French:
différentiation
— in calculus
German:
Differentiation
— in calculus
German:
Differenziation
— in calculus
Greek:
διαφοροποίηση
(diaforopoíisi)
— in calculus
Hindi:
अवकलन
(avaklan)
— in calculus
Indonesian:
turunan
— in calculus
Italian:
differenziazione
— in calculus
Japanese:
微分
(bibun)
— in calculus
Norman:
difféthentiâtion
— in calculus
Polish:
różniczkowanie
— in calculus
Portuguese:
diferenciação
— in calculus
Portuguese:
derivação
— in calculus
Russian:
дифференци́рование
(differencírovanije)
— in calculus