I. dif ‧ fe ‧ ren ‧ tial 1 /ˌdɪfəˈrenʃ ə l◂/ BrE AmE noun [countable]
1 . formal a difference between things, especially between the wages of people doing different types of jobs in the same industry or profession
pay/wage/salary differential
2 . technical a differential gear
II. differential 2 BrE AmE adjective
based on or depending on a difference:
differential rates of pay
differential treatment of part-time and full-time staff