difference
[noun]
Synonyms:
- dissimilarity, alteration, change, contrast, discrepancy, disparity, diversity, variation, variety
- disagreement, argument, clash, conflict, contretemps, debate, dispute, quarrel
- remainder, balance, rest, result

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Antonyms: resemblance
Contrasted words: equivalence, equivalency, sameness
Related Words: modification, variation, clash, conflict

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English Thesaurus: difference, difference between, difference in, know the difference, contrast, ...

[TahlilGaran] English Synonym Dictionary ▲

dif‧fe‧rence S1 W1 /ˈdɪfərəns/ noun
[Word Family: verb: differ, differentiate; noun: difference, differentiation; adverb: differently; adjective: different]

1. [uncountable and countable] a way in which two or more people or things are not like each other Antonym : similarity
difference between
There’s a big difference between knowing that something is true, and being able to prove it.
There is very little difference between the parties on green issues.
Do children know the difference between right and wrong?
difference in
Researchers found a number of important differences in the way boys and girls learn.
There’s a world of difference (=there’s a very big difference) between being alone and being lonely.

2. [singular, uncountable] the amount by which one thing is greater or smaller than another
difference in age/size etc
There’s not much difference in price.
There’s a five-hour time difference between London and New York. ⇒ split the difference at split¹(9)

3. make a/the difference to have an important effect or influence on something or someone:
Whatever she did, it made no difference.
make a/the difference to
One more person wouldn’t make any difference to the arrangements.
make a/the difference between
It could make the difference between missing your train and getting to work on time.
Having a good teacher has made all the difference for Alex (=had an important influence).

4. it makes no difference to somebody used to say that it does not matter to someone which thing happens, is chosen etc:
Morning or afternoon. It makes no difference to me.

5. our/your/their differences disagreements:
We’ve had our differences in the past.
settle/resolve your differences (=agree not to argue any more)

6. difference of opinion a slight disagreement:
There have been some differences of opinion as to exactly how the money should be spent.

7. with a difference informal used to describe something which is interesting or unusual, especially in a good way:
an adventure holiday with a difference

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Contemporary English ▲

difference
noun
I. way in which people/things are not the same
ADJ. big, broad, considerable, dramatic, enormous, great, huge, large, major, profound, radical, real, sharp, substantial, vast, wide A little extra care makes a big difference. I noticed a real difference in his attitude.
basic, essential, fundamental | crucial, important, key, significant | clear, distinct, marked, notable, noticeable, obvious, striking | minor, slight, subtle | national, regional | age, class, cultural, ethnic, gender, genetic, physical, psychological, racial, sex, social | historical, ideological, political | temperature, time What's the time difference between London and Tokyo?
VERB + DIFFERENCE make The new central heating has made an enormous difference to the house. What difference does it make if he doesn't have a car?
mean One tiny mistake when you're climbing could mean the difference between life and death.
exaggerate, emphasize, focus on, highlight, stress, underline We should be focusing on what we have in common rather than emphasizing our differences.
appreciate, be aware of, feel, know, notice, perceive, see, spot, tell Only an expert would know the difference between the male and the female. Can you spot the difference between these two photos? It's difficult to tell the difference between butterflies and moths.
explain, illustrate | examine, explore, look at The study explores the differences between the way girls and boys talk.
show The questionnaire showed vast differences in what kind of product people want.
reflect Our different attitudes to life reflect the differences in our backgrounds.
DIFFERENCE + VERB be, lie The difference lies in the way the fruit is prepared.
arise (from sth), exist The differences in size arise from the amount of sunshine each plant gets.
PREP. ~ between There's a big difference between reading about skiing and doing it yourself.
~ from He was very aware of his difference from the other children.
~ in The difference in price is not very significant.
~ of a crucial difference of emphasis
~ with There is one key difference with the earlier version of the software. The difference with this information service is that it's free.
PHRASES a … with a difference If you want a holiday with a difference, come to Iceland.
all the difference in the world There's all the difference in the world between choosing to do something and being forced to do it.
a great deal of/a lot difference The extra money will make a lot of difference to us.
make all the difference Just five minutes' exercise a day could make all the difference.
no difference/not much difference There's not much difference between baseball and softball.

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

difference
II. sum of money in addition to the sum expected
VERB + DIFFERENCE pay If you decide you would prefer the more expensive model, you can bring this one back and pay the difference.
make up He hadn't got quite enough money, but his aunt agreed to make up the difference.
pocket He sold the car for more than he'd paid and pocketed the difference.
split (figurative) I wanted to leave early and Ian wanted to leave late, so we split the difference and left at noon.

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

difference
III. disagreement
ADJ. irreconcilable, major, serious, sharp | minor, slight | outstanding This round of talks aims to resolve the outstanding differences between the two sides.
VERB + DIFFERENCE have They have had some minor differences, but in general they get on well together.
make up, patch up, put aside, reconcile, resolve, settle We're going to get the two sides together to see if they can't settle their differences.
DIFFERENCE + VERB arise, emerge, occur Differences may arise when the young people do not have the same expectations as their parents.
remain Although the talks were generally successful, differences remain between the groups.
PREP. ~ as to/over There were some differences as to how to deal with the crisis.
PHRASES a difference of opinion She and Luke had a difference of opinion over how much money they should spend.
have your differences Like any married couple, we have our differences.

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

difference

a big/major/huge difference
I think you’ll notice a big difference.
an important/significant/crucial difference
A study of the two groups of students showed a significant difference.
a slight/small/minor difference
There’s only a slight difference between the male and the female bird.
a marked/dramatic difference (=very noticeable)
There was a marked difference between the two sets of results.
a subtle difference (=not obvious)
There’s a subtle difference in flavour between these coffees.
an essential/fundamental difference (=a very basic one)
The fundamental differences between the two sides slowly emerged.
cultural/political/regional etc differences
the major cultural differences between the west and the east
class differences (=between different classes of society)
People’s answers to the questions showed clear class differences.
sex/gender differences (=between men and women)
gender differences in levels of criminality
individual differences (=between one person and another)
We respect the children’s individual differences.
show a difference
Our data showed considerable national differences.
know the difference (=know how two things are different)
If you don’t know the difference between two words, your dictionary can help.
can tell/see the difference (=can recognize how two things are different)
I can’t really see the difference between these two colours.
notice a difference
She has noticed a dramatic difference in her energy levels.
spot the difference (=see the difference)
It’s easy to spot the difference between real and imitation leather.

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

difference
noun
1.
BAD: You have to make a difference between women who have to work and women who choose to work.
GOOD: You have to make a distinction between women who have to work and women who choose to work.

Usage Note:
make/draw a distinction (between A and B) = not regard or treat A and B in the same way: 'Sometimes it is difficult to make a clear distinction between qualifications and experience.' 'Most societies draw a distinction between the status of an unmarried woman and a married one.'

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2.
BAD: As soon as I arrived in the USA, I noticed a big difference of social behaviour.
GOOD: As soon as I arrived in the USA, I noticed a big difference in social behaviour.

Usage Note:
difference in a particular shared feature, practice or quality: 'Since there was very little difference in price, we bought the large packet.' 'Differences in eating habits can cause considerable embarrassment.'

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Common Errors ▲

difference a detail, fact, or quality that makes one person or thing different from another:
We should think about the similarities between cultures, not the differences.
⇒ difference between:
Try and spot the differences between these two pictures.
The difference between the two cheeses is that one is made from goat’s milk.
⇒ difference in:
I don’t think there’s any difference in the way you pronounce these two words.
⇒ know the difference:
He’s speaking Italian, not Spanish. Don’t you know the difference?
contrast a very clear difference that you can easily see when you compare two things or people: contrast between something/somebody and something/somebody:
What surprised me was the contrast between Picasso’s early style and his later work.
gap a big difference between two amounts, two ages, or two groups of people: gap between:
There’s a ten-year gap between Kay’s two children.
The gap between rich and poor is wider in the South than in the rest of the country.
⇒ age/gender/income etc gap:
The age gap between us didn’t seem to matter until we decided to have children.
gulf a very big difference and lack of understanding between two groups of people, especially in their beliefs, opinions, and way of life: gulf between somebody and somebody:
More riots led to a growing gulf between the police and the communities in which they worked.
⇒ bridge/cross the gulf (=improve understanding and communication):
The central problem was how to bridge the gulf between the warring factions of the party.
disparity formal a big difference between two groups of people or things – use this especially when you think the difference is unfair or may cause problems: disparity between:
It is not easy to explain the disparity that still exists between the salaries of men and women.
⇒ disparity in:
the disparity in wealth between the highest and the lowest employees
⇒ the economic/income etc disparity:
The economic disparity between the area’s black and white citizens is a serious problem.
compare to consider two or more things or people, in order to show how they are similar or different:
Scientists compared the results of both experiments.
The woman’s body was identified by comparing her teeth with dental records.
make/draw a comparison to compare two or more things or people and say how they are similar:
In her article, she makes a comparison between people’s lives now and 50 years ago.
It is possible to draw a comparison between the two poets’ work.
draw an analogy to say that two situations are similar – a rather formal use:
Some people have attempted to draw an analogy between America’s invasion of Iraq and the war in Vietnam.
draw a parallel to say that some features of things are similar, especially things that are actually very different – a rather formal use:
He draws a parallel between football and religion.
Parallels can be drawn between her work and that of Picasso.
make/draw a distinction between to say that you think two things are very different:
The author draws a distinction between allowing death to occur, and causing it.
It is important to make a distinction between people’s fears about crime and the amount of crime that really happens.
measure somebody/something against somebody/something to compare two people or things, in order to judge which is better, bigger, etc:
As a young actress, she was nervous of being measured against her famous father.
Murray’s progress is often measured against that of Nadal.

[TahlilGaran] English Thesaurus ▲

difference
ˈdɪfrəns
See: make a difference , split the difference

[TahlilGaran] English Idioms Dictionary ▲