Adjacent Words

Different definitions

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Webster's 1828 Dictionary

DIFFERENT, a.
1. Distinct; separate; not the same; as, we belong to different churches or nations.
2. Various or contrary; of various or contrary natures, forms or qualities; unlike; dissimilar; as different kinds of food or drink; different states of health; different shapes; different degrees of excellence.

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

adj
1: unlike in nature or quality or form or degree; "took different approaches to the problem"; "came to a different conclusion"; "different parts of the country"; "on different sides of the issue"; "this meeting was different from the earlier one" [ant: same]
2: distinctly separate from the first; "that's another (or different) issue altogether"
3: differing from all others; not ordinary; "advertising that strives continually to be different"; "this new music is certainly different but I don't really like it"
4: marked by dissimilarity; "for twins they are very unlike"; "people are profoundly different" [syn: unlike, dissimilar, different] [ant: like, similar]
5: distinct or separate; "each interviewed different members of the community"

Merriam Webster's

I. adjective Etymology: Middle English, from Latin different-, differens, present participle of differre Date: 14th century 1. partly or totally unlike in nature, form, or quality ; dissimilar <could hardly be more different> — often followed by from, than, or chiefly British to <small, neat hand, very different from the captain's tottery characters — R. L. Stevenson> <vastly different in size than it was twenty-five years ago — N. M. Pusey> <a very different situation to the…one under which we live — Sir Winston Churchill> 2. not the same: as a. distinct <different age groups> b. various <different members of the class> c. another <switched to a different TV program> 3. unusual, special <she was different and superior> • differentness noun Synonyms: different, diverse, divergent, disparate, various mean unlike in kind or character. different may imply little more than separateness but it may also imply contrast or contrariness <different foods>. diverse implies both distinctness and marked contrast <such diverse interests as dancing and football>. divergent implies movement away from each other and unlikelihood of ultimate meeting or reconciliation <went on to pursue divergent careers>. disparate emphasizes incongruity or incompatibility <disparate notions of freedom>. various stresses the number of sorts or kinds <tried various methods>. Usage: Numerous commentators have condemned different than in spite of its use since the 17th century by many of the best-known names in English literature. It is nevertheless standard and is even recommended in many handbooks when followed by a clause, because insisting on from in such instances often produces clumsy or wordy formulations. Different from, the generally safe choice, is more common especially when it is followed by a noun or pronoun. II. adverb Date: 1744 differently

Oxford Reference Dictionary

adj. 1 (often foll. by from, to, than) unlike, distinguishable in nature, form, or quality (from another). Usage: Different from is generally regarded as the most acceptable collocation; to is common in less formal use; than is established in US use and also found in British use, esp. when followed by a clause, e.g. I am a different person than I was a year ago. 2 distinct, separate; not the same one (as another). 3 colloq. unusual (wanted to do something different). Derivatives: differently adv. differentness n. Etymology: ME f. OF different f. L different- (as DIFFER)

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Different Dif"fer*ent, a. [L. differens, -entis, p. pr. of differre: cf. F. diff['e]rent.] 1. Distinct; separate; not the same; other. ``Five different churches.'' --Addison. 2. Of various or contrary nature, form, or quality; partially or totally unlike; dissimilar; as, different kinds of food or drink; different states of health; different shapes; different degrees of excellence. Men are as different from each other, as the regions in which they are born are different. --Dryden. Note: Different is properly followed by from. Different to, for different from, is a common English colloquialism. Different than is quite inadmissible.

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

Frequency: The word is one of the 700 most common words in English. 1. If two people or things are different, they are not like each other in one or more ways. London was different from most European capitals... If he'd attended music school, how might things have been different?... We have totally different views. ADJ: oft ADJ from n • In British English, people sometimes say that one thing is different to another. Some people consider this use to be incorrect. My approach is totally different to his. ADJ: v-link ADJ to n • People sometimes say that one thing is different than another. This use is often considered incorrect in British English, but it is acceptable in American English. We're not really any different than they are. ADJ: v-link ADJ than n/cl • differently Every individual learns differently... ADV: ADV after v, ADV -ed, oft ADV from n 2. You use different to indicate that you are talking about two or more separate and distinct things of the same kind. Different countries specialised in different products... The number of calories in different brands of drinks varies enormously. ? identical ADJ: ADJ n 3. You can describe something as different when it is unusual and not like others of the same kind. This recipe is certainly interesting and different. = distinctive ADJ: v-link ADJ

Soule's Dictionary of English Synonyms

a. 1. Distinct, separate, not the same. 2. Unlike, dissimilar, various, diverse, contrary, contrasted, variant, deviating, divergent, diverging. 3. Various, divers, many, manifold, sundry.

Moby Thesaurus

aberrant, abnormal, absolute, abundant, amorphous, anomalistic, anomalous, another, assorted, at odds, at variance, bizarre, capricious, certain, changeable, changing, choppy, concrete, conflicting, contrary, contrasted, contrasting, contrastive, counter, crank, crankish, cranky, crotchety, defined, definite, departing, detailed, determinate, deviant, deviating, deviative, deviatory, differentiated, differing, disaccordant, disagreeing, discordant, discrepant, discrete, discriminated, disjoined, disorderly, disparate, dissimilar, dissonant, distant, distinct, distinctive, distinguishable, distinguished, divaricate, divergent, diverging, divers, diverse, diversified, diversiform, dotty, eccentric, erose, erratic, esoteric, especial, exceptional, express, extraordinary, fey, fixed, flaky, formless, freakish, funny, hardly like, heteroclite, heterogeneous, heteromorphic, idiocratic, idiosyncratic, impulsive, in disagreement, inaccordant, incompatible, incongruous, inconsistent, inconsonant, inconstant, individual, inharmonious, inner, intimate, irreconcilable, irregular, jagged, jerky, kinky, kooky, maggoty, manifold, many, mercurial, minute, motley, multifarious, mutable, new, nonconformist, nonstandard, nonuniform, noteworthy, novel, numerous, nutty, odd, oddball, off, offbeat, opposite, original, other, otherwise, out, particular, peculiar, personal, pluralistic, poles apart, poles asunder, precise, private, queer, quirky, ragged, rare, remarkable, respective, rough, scarcely like, screwball, screwy, separate, separated, several, shapeless, single, singular, solipsistic, spasmodic, special, specific, sporadic, strange, stray, straying, subnormal, sundry, twisted, unalike, uncommon, unconformable, unconventional, unequable, unequal, uneven, unfamiliar, unheard-of, unidentical, unique, unlike, unmatched, unnatural, unorthodox, unresembling, unsame, unsimilar, unstable, unsteady, unsystematic, ununiform, unusual, variable, variant, varied, variegated, variform, various, varying, wacky, wandering, wavering, weird, whimsical, widely apart, worlds apart