distinguish
verb
[ dɪˈstɪŋɡwɪʃ ]
• recognize or treat (someone or something) as different.
• "the child is perfectly capable of distinguishing reality from fantasy"
• manage to discern (something barely perceptible).
• "it was too dark to distinguish anything more than their vague shapes"
Similar:
discern,
see,
perceive,
make out,
observe,
notice,
spot,
glimpse,
catch sight of,
detect,
recognize,
identify,
pick out,
apprehend,
descry,
espy,
• make oneself worthy of respect by one's behaviour or achievements.
• "many distinguished themselves in the fight against Hitler"
Similar:
attain distinction,
be successful,
bring fame/honour to oneself,
become famous,
dignify oneself,
glorify oneself,
excel oneself,
win acclaim for oneself,
ennoble oneself,
become lionized,
become immortalized,
elevate oneself,
Origin:
late 16th century: formed irregularly from French distinguer or Latin distinguere, from dis- ‘apart’ + stinguere ‘put out’ (from a base meaning ‘prick’).
