Difference
['dɪf(ə)r(ə)ns] or ['dɪfrəns]
Definition
(noun.) the quality of being unlike or dissimilar; 'there are many differences between jazz and rock'.
(noun.) a significant change; 'the difference in her is amazing'; 'his support made a real difference'.
Editor: Omar--From WordNet
Definition
(n.) The act of differing; the state or measure of being different or unlike; distinction; dissimilarity; unlikeness; variation; as, a difference of quality in paper; a difference in degrees of heat, or of light; what is the difference between the innocent and the guilty?
(n.) Disagreement in opinion; dissension; controversy; quarrel; hence, cause of dissension; matter in controversy.
(n.) That by which one thing differs from another; that which distinguishes or causes to differ; mark of distinction; characteristic quality; specific attribute.
(n.) Choice; preference.
(n.) An addition to a coat of arms to distinguish the bearings of two persons, which would otherwise be the same. See Augmentation, and Marks of cadency, under Cadency.
(n.) The quality or attribute which is added to those of the genus to constitute a species; a differentia.
(n.) The quantity by which one quantity differs from another, or the remainder left after subtracting the one from the other.
(v. t.) To cause to differ; to make different; to mark as different; to distinguish.
Inputed by Julio
Synonyms and Synonymous
n. [1]. Dissimilarity, variation, diversity, disparity, dissimilitude.[2]. Variance, alienation, misunderstanding, dissension, jarring, breach, rupture, schism, contest, quarrel, dispute, debate, controversy, altercation, bickering, wrangle, strife, falling out.[3]. Distinction, discrimination.
Typed by Bernadine
Synonyms and Antonyms
SYN:Separation, destruction, dissimilarity, unlikeness, disagreement, dissonance,discord, contrariety, dissent, distinction, dissimilitude, estrangement,variety
ANT:Community, consociation, condonation, similarity, likeness, agreement, sympathy,consonance, harmony, consentaneousness, reconciliation, uniformity, identity
Inputed by Jeff
Examples
- The reactions were all varied in various people, but they followed a few great laws, and intrinsically there was no difference. D. H. Lawrence. Women in Love .
- Your absence will make a vast difference to me, sir, as I think you very well know. Charles Dickens. Hard Times.
- That's the only difference? Ernest Hemingway. A Farewell To Arms.
- A serious difference of opinion, as you see! Wilkie Collins. The Moonstone.
- But tell me, uncle, what is the difference between a Demarch and an Eparch? Fergus Hume. The Island of Fantasy.
- I reason; but reason and effort make no difference. Charlotte Bronte. Shirley.
- This doesn't make any difference between us. Ernest Hemingway. A Farewell To Arms.
- The difference between a phonograph and the human voice is that the phonograph must sing the song which is stamped upon it. Walter Lippmann. A Preface to Politics.
- But the difference is but one of emphasis; the meaning that is shaded in one set of words is illuminated in the other. John Dewey. Democracy and Education.
- We could not see that there was really much difference between them in this respect, however. Mark Twain. The Innocents Abroad.
- Now comes the difference. Charles Dickens. A Tale of Two Cities.
- With a difference, my dear Sir; with a difference,' rejoined Perker, deliberately folding up the paper and putting it into his pocket again. Charles Dickens. The Pickwick Papers.
- I don't know the time that makes much difference to us. Charles Dickens. Little Dorrit.
- There is a great difference between feeding parties to wild beasts and stirring up their finer feelings in an Inquisition. Mark Twain. The Innocents Abroad.
- One day in private, the two young gentlemen had had a difference. William Makepeace Thackeray. Vanity Fair.
- We have been at some pains in this history to make plain the development of these differences. H. G. Wells. The Outline of History_Being a Plain History of Life and Mankind.
- We wos a adjestin' our little differences, and I wos a-cheerin' her spirits and bearin' her up, so that I forgot to ask anythin' about it. Charles Dickens. The Pickwick Papers.
- These fine differences about the constitution of the Deity interwove with politics and international disputes. H. G. Wells. The Outline of History_Being a Plain History of Life and Mankind.
- I dreamt that I took you to her house to make up differences, and when we got there we couldn't get in, though she kept on crying to us for help. Thomas Hardy. The Return of the Native.
- All these differences prevent or weaken the comparison, and consequently the passion. David Hume. A Treatise of Human Nature.
- He knew that Hermione had a curious pleasure in treading down all the social differences, at least apparently, and he left it to her. D. H. Lawrence. Women in Love .
- We shall afterwards have occasion to remark both the resemblance and differences betwixt a poetical enthusiasm, and a serious conviction. David Hume. A Treatise of Human Nature.
- Was not the selection of the male guardians determined by differences of this sort? Plato. The Republic.
- At a low level of civilization, differences in language cause very powerful political strains. H. G. Wells. The Outline of History_Being a Plain History of Life and Mankind.
- These slight proportional differences, due to the laws of growth and variation, are not of the slightest use or importance to most species. Charles Darwin. On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection.
- Those differences were too minute to be described. Wilkie Collins. The Woman in White.
- Where there were distinct differences, the difficulty was met by saying that these were different _aspects_ of the same god. H. G. Wells. The Outline of History_Being a Plain History of Life and Mankind.
- Possibly these several differences may be connected with the different flow of nutriment towards the central and external flowers. Charles Darwin. On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection.
- Such alone are the unimportant differences which Gartner is able to point out between hybrid and mongrel plants. Charles Darwin. On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection.
- In each individual the original differences are small. Walter Lippmann. A Preface to Politics.
Checked by Jennie