What does "difference" mean?
The quality of being different.
Difference
/ˈdɪf(ə)ɹəns/ noun, verb
noun, verb ·Very common ·High school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: The quality of being different.
- Grammar: difference is listed as noun, verb.
- Nearest alternatives: a wide range, aberrance, aberrancy, aberration.
- Useful contrasts: numerical total, shared communality, simple addition.
- Usage evidence: In theory, there is no difference between theory and practice. But, in practice, there is.
How to use "difference"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "difference" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "difference" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "difference" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "difference" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "difference" is acting as noun, verb in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "a wide range" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "difference", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 The quality of being different. uncountable
"You need to learn to be more tolerant of difference."
- 2 the quality of being unlike or dissimilar wordnet
- 3 A characteristic of something that makes it different from something else. countable
"There are three differences between these two pictures."
- 4 a disagreement or argument about something important wordnet
- 5 A disagreement or argument. countable
"We have our little differences, but we are firm friends."
Show 10 more definitions
- 6 a variation that deviates from the standard or norm wordnet
- 7 Significant change in or effect on a situation or state. countable, uncountable
"It just won't make much difference to me."
- 8 the number that remains after subtraction; the number that when added to the subtrahend gives the minuend wordnet
- 9 The result of a subtraction; sometimes the absolute value of this result. countable
"The difference between 3 and 21 is 18."
- 10 a significant change wordnet
- 11 Choice; preference. countable, obsolete, uncountable
"That now be chooseth with vile difference To be a beast, and lack intelligence."
- 12 An addition to a coat of arms to distinguish two people's bearings which would otherwise be the same. See augmentation and cadency. countable, uncountable
- 13 The quality or attribute which is added to those of the genus to constitute a species; a differentia. countable, uncountable
- 14 A Boolean operation which is true when the two input variables are different but is otherwise false; the XOR operation ( scriptstyle A◌̅B+◌̅AB). countable, uncountable
- 15 The set of elements that are in one set but not another ( scriptstyle A◌̅B). countable, relational, uncountable
Verb
- 1 To distinguish or differentiate. obsolete, transitive
"This simple spectation of the lungs is differenced from that which concomitates a pleurisy."
Synonyms
All synonymsAntonyms
numerical totalshared communalitysimple additionstatistical summation
Example
"In theory, there is no difference between theory and practice. But, in practice, there is."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "difference"?
Common synonyms include: a wide range, aberrance, aberrancy, aberration, abnormality, abnormity.
How do you use "difference" in a sentence?
In theory, there is no difference between theory and practice. But, in practice, there is.
How do you pronounce "difference"?
Pronounced /ˈdɪf(ə)ɹəns/.
Etymology
From Middle English difference, from Old French difference, from Latin differentia (“difference”), from differēns (“different”), present participle of differre. Doublet of differentia. Morphologically differ + -ence.