də(s), (|)di(s)+ noun
: the quality or state of being dissimilar : difference in appearance or nature : unlikeness , heterogeneity
progress toward full union has remained stalled because of dissimilarities between the Belgian and the Netherlands economies — Americana Annual
Synonyms:
dissimilarity , unlikeness , difference , divergence , divergency , and distinction all mean lack of agreement or correspondence in appearance, quality, or nature, or an instance of this. dissimilarity and unlikeness , the most general terms in this group, are often interchangeable; dissimilarity , however, often stresses the lack of agreement or correspondence more than unlikeness which often applies more to a lack of resemblance as among things in the same species or in some other more or less uniform category
there are often not mere unlikenesses but marked dissimilarities of belief between members of the same religious group
what a dissimilarity! In the ground of the two lives, a likeness; in all their circumstance, what unlikeness! — Matthew Arnold
a noticeable unlikeness between twins
difference implies a quality or feature which marks one thing as apart from another — want of resemblance in one or more particulars, a want of identity, or a disagreement or cause of disagreement
dwell with satisfaction upon the poet's difference from his predecessors — T.S.Eliot
differences in the type of ware manufactured by the various crafts — H.E.Steele
an obvious difference between the statesman and the politician
settle the differences between hostile nations
divergence or divergency usually applies to things which have or have had much in common, implying strongly a cleavage or a purposeful separation in path or character
one university system might show considerable divergence from another — J.B.Conant
in the old days I demanded agreement; I am now amused by divergence — A.C.Benson
his divergence from his sister in this sphere of religion was never so wide as she feared — Matthew Arnold
increasing divergencies between British and French policies — Sumner Welles
the divergencies between these three passages are obvious — A.P.d'Entrèves
distinction implies a difference, usually in a detail, brought out by close observation or analysis
the natural distinction between literary and graphic art — John Ruskin
he had lost all sense of the distinction between reality and illusion — Van Wyck Brooks
these distinctions in national character are rooted in some quality of human nature — J.A.Hobson