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