I. ˈdifərnt, -f(ə)rənt, -R sometimes -fənt adjective
Etymology: Middle French, from Latin different-, differens, present participle of differre to carry apart, be different, from dif- (from dis- ) + ferre to carry — more at bear
1. : partly or totally unlike in nature, form, or quality
two men could hardly be more different
: having at least one property not possessed by another (of a specified pair or larger group)
no thing is different from itself
— used with from
small, neat hand, very different from the captain's tottery characters — R.L.Stevenson
or with than
different than any other piece we've done lately — Harper's
vastly different in size than it was twenty-five years ago — N.M.Pusey
or chiefly British with to
a very different situation to the … one under which we live — Sir Winston Churchill
2. : not the same : distinct or separate (from another or from others in a group)
studying the behavior of males in different age groups
: various , several
different members of your group could then tell … stories about these heroes — L.J.Davidson
: another
not liking the first book, he tried a different one
3. : being out of the ordinary : unusual , special
advertising that strives continually to be different
Synonyms:
different , diverse , divergent , disparate , and various agree when they modify plural nouns and mean unlike in kind or character. different sometimes implies little more than separateness and sometimes implies contrast
many different kinds of food
different points of view
diverse implies marked difference and decided contrast
diverse tendencies among the arts have given rise to opposed theories — John Dewey
the important problems which arise when two different groups having diverse languages and cultures meet — T.A.Sebeok
a curious fusion of diverse elements — Carl Van Vechten
divergent , often used in the sense of markedly different, implies a movement away from sameness or similarity, usually implying impossibility of again coming together as for close association, agreement, or reconciliation
he recognized that labor and capital have divergent interests — M.R.Cohen
a great part of the quarrel between science and religion arises from divergent opinions not about the world as it is, but about what it will be — W.R.Inge
either the concepts of the great Powers coincide and they are in agreement, or their concepts are divergent and they therefore cannot agree among themselves as to … action — M.S.Fairchild
disparate usually implies an unequivocal difference, usually as between in congruous or incompatible things
a nation believing in free speech can't federate with a nation believing in kept speech, and nobody should even consider raising a federal roof over two such disparate ideas — New Yorker
the disparate elements of the medieval personality were as yet unblended — H.O.Taylor
various commonly lays stress on the number of kinds or the variety within one whole
various people dropped in for tea
a personality that is various and interesting
II. adverb
: differently
they do things different here