differentiation
noun
dif·fer·en·ti·a·tion
| \ ˌdi-fə-ˌren(t)-shē-ˈā-shən
\
\
Definition of differentiation
1
: the act or process of differentiating
2
: development from the one to the many, the simple to the complex, or the homogeneous to the heterogeneous
differentiation of Latin into vernaculars
3 biology
a
: modification of body parts for performance of particular functions
b
: the sum of the processes whereby apparently indifferent (see indifferent sense 7) or unspecialized cells, tissues, and structures attain their adult form and function
Examples of differentiation in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Calling the differentiation between news and propaganda a Western concept, Hu said his mission is clear in China's one-party political system. — Steven Jiang, CNN, "The man taking on Hong Kong from deep inside China's propaganda machine," 16 Aug. 2019 Technology changes make all these ideas possible, although in many cases tech isn’t the point of differentiation. — Shira Ovide, Los Angeles Times, "Commentary: WeWork is profoundly shocking and odd," 15 Aug. 2019 Candidates’ lived experiences, policy expertise, and worldviews make this issue ripe for discussion and differentiation. — Vicki Shabo, refinery29.com, "Advice To 2020 Candidates: Talk About Paid Family Leave," 30 June 2019 These factors have already driven differentiation in a lingerie market previously dominated by Victoria’s Secret. — Sangeeta Singh-kurtz, Quartzy, "The perfect timing and iffy branding of Kim Kardashian’s “Kimono” shapewear," 26 June 2019 Weber was a classroom teacher for 14 years, seven in Carol Stream District 93 and seven in Plainfield District 202, teaching third, fourth and fifth grade as well as serving as a differentiation specialist. — Jesse Wright, chicagotribune.com, "Elmhurst District 205 hires new principals, shuffles administrators," 19 June 2019 And one where color matters: All ConceptD laptop displays will have 100-percent Adobe RGB color gamut, Pantone certification, and a Delta-E (a color differentiation measurement) of less than 1 percent. — Melissa Riofrio, PCWorld, "Sorry, gamers: Acer's ConceptD PCs are powerful, quiet, and cool, but made for creators," 12 Apr. 2019 Does your company implement traffic differentiation policies based on a consumers' contract or the brand of service? — Jon Brodkin, Ars Technica, "Wireless throttling: Senators ask four major carriers about video slowdowns," 15 Nov. 2018 But in blood stem cells, m6A restricts differentiation. — Ken Garber, Science | AAAS, "Hidden layer of gene control influences everything from cancer to memory," 1 July 2019These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'differentiation.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Keep scrolling for more
Keep scrolling for more
More Definitions for differentiation
differentiation
noun
dif·fer·en·ti·a·tion
| \ ˌdi-fə-ˌren-shē-ˈā-shən
\
\
Kids Definition of differentiation
: the process of change by which immature living structures develop to maturity
differentiation
noun
dif·fer·en·ti·a·tion
| \ -ˌren-chē-ˈā-shən
\
\
Medical Definition of differentiation
1a
: the act of describing a thing by giving its differentia
b
: the enhancement of microscopically visible differences between tissue or cell parts by partial selective decolorization or removal of excess stain (as in regressive staining)
c
: the development of a discriminating conditioned response with a positive response to one stimulus and absence of the response on the application of similar but discriminably different stimuli
2a
: modification of different parts of the body for performance of particular functions
also
: specialization of parts or organs in the course of evolution
b
: the sum of the developmental processes whereby apparently unspecialized cells, tissues, and structures attain their adult form and function — compare determination sense 2
Keep scrolling for more