1
as in excellence
exceptionally high quality
a shop selling native handicrafts of distinction
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in advantage
a quality that gives something special worth
has the distinction of being the oldest house in the city
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in accolade
public acknowledgment or admiration for an achievement
I did all of the work, and the other guy got all the distinction
Synonyms & Similar Words
4
as in dominance
the fact or state of being above others in rank or importance
a number of physicians of national distinction serve on the staff of the teaching hospital
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
5
as in award
something given in recognition of achievement
won a number of distinctions in her long career as an actress
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6
as in difference
the quality or state of being different
the distinction between the two photographic prints escapes me
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
7
as in separation
the state of being kept distinct
the distinction between liberty and license is often violated in today's freewheeling society
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of distinction
The part that feels especially Saturnian is that key distinction: moral qualities judged apart from intelligence, competence, or special talents.
—
Colin Bedell, Them., 28 May 2025
The relief was because the gelding’s distinction was a paddle foot.
—Louise Erdrich, New Yorker, 25 May 2025
That distinction, perhaps surprising to some, belongs to chicken burgers.
—Perri Ormont Blumberg, FOXNews.com, 24 May 2025
This distinction is more urgent than ever as AI makes surface-level content alarmingly easy to produce.
—Rhea Wessel, Forbes.com, 19 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for distinction
Colin Bedell, Them., 28 May 2025
The relief was because the gelding’s distinction was a paddle foot.
—Louise Erdrich, New Yorker, 25 May 2025
That distinction, perhaps surprising to some, belongs to chicken burgers.
—Perri Ormont Blumberg, FOXNews.com, 24 May 2025
This distinction is more urgent than ever as AI makes surface-level content alarmingly easy to produce.
—Rhea Wessel, Forbes.com, 19 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for distinction
Recent Examples of Synonyms for distinction
Noun
-
Sustaining excellence in sports is incredibly difficult.—
Ira Winderman,
Sun Sentinel,
22 May 2025
-
The 2025 Cannes Film Festival has evolved far beyond its origins as a celebration of cinematic excellence.—
Pooja Shah,
Forbes.com,
22 May 2025
Noun
-
Pone hit a sacrifice fly to put Ole Miss up 5-4, Mackenzie Pickens hit and RBI single in the fifth for a two-run advantage and Brady sent a solo home run to left-center field in the seventh to set the final score.—
Arkansas Democrat-Gazette,
Arkansas Online,
26 May 2025
-
There are advantages older figures can bring to politics — even if the current generation has ruined the reputation of elder statesmen.—
Jack Butler,
National Review,
25 May 2025
Noun
-
Filmed at the legendary actor's Malibu home, the video features footage of Van Dyke's many accolades and awards, sweet clips of him and his extended family, and emotional moments of reflection.—
Stephanie Nolasco,
FOXNews.com,
27 May 2025
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Sporting some of the world’s highest difficulty on floor and beam, 2025 could be the year for Roberson to capture individual accolades.—
Caroline Price,
Forbes.com,
24 May 2025
Noun
-
By strategically leveraging its dominance in PCs and cloud computing, Microsoft is set to redefine enterprise AI.—
Janakiram MSV,
Forbes.com,
22 May 2025
-
Either result will represent a change from the recent dominance of a brilliant Real Madrid, who have won the biggest prize in six of the past 11 seasons.—
Steve Madeley,
New York Times,
22 May 2025
Noun
-
For the 51st installment of the awards show, stars descended on Fontainebleau Las Vegas on Memorial Day to celebrate the biggest names in music, and brought their fashion A-game on the 99-degree day.—
Jackie Fields,
People.com,
27 May 2025
-
In her 30-year career, Laura has won numerous national awards for coverage of human trafficking, child welfare, crime and government secrecy.—
Laura Bauer,
Kansas City Star,
26 May 2025
Noun
-
This, along with Stoke’s physicality and directness, gave them a point of difference — something nobody else had.—
Nick Miller,
New York Times,
22 May 2025
-
The difference between current and voltage can be visualized by a conveyor belt carrying boxes of a uniform size.—
Erik Kobayashi-Solomon,
Forbes.com,
22 May 2025
Noun
-
But left-hander Jared Shuster gave up three straight singles with two outs in the bottom of the eighth, and Lindor drove in an insurance run to get some separation from the Sox.—
Abbey Mastracco,
New York Daily News,
28 May 2025
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But the recent crisis shows that too much separation creates its own problems.—
Tima Bansal,
Forbes.com,
26 May 2025
Noun
-
Education was considered an individual pursuit marked by moral excellency and only the students who did the best in school would have proceeded to higher education.—
Sara Novak,
Discover Magazine,
12 Nov. 2024
-
Education was considered an individual pursuit marked by moral excellency and only the students who did the best in school would have proceeded to higher education.—
Sara Novak,
Discover Magazine,
12 Nov. 2024
Cite this Entry
“Distinction.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/distinction. Accessed 3 Jun. 2025.
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