Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • adjective Characterized by excellence or distinction; eminent.
  • adjective Dignified in conduct or appearance.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • Separated by some mark of distinction: as, distinguished rank; distinguished abilities.
  • Possessing distinction; separated from the generality by superior abilities, achievements, character, or reputation; better known than others in the same class or profession; well known; eminent: as, a distinguished statesman, author, or soldier.
  • Synonyms Celebrated, Eminent, etc. (see famous); marked, conspicuous, excellent.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • adjective Marked; special.
  • adjective Separated from others by distinct difference; having, or indicating, superiority; eminent or known; illustrious; -- applied to persons and deeds.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • adjective celebrated, well-known or eminent because of past achievements; prestigious
  • adjective Having a dignified appearance or demeanor
  • adjective mathematics Specified, noted.
  • verb Simple past tense and past participle of distinguish.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • adjective used of a person's appearance or behavior; befitting an eminent person
  • adjective (used of persons) standing above others in character or attainment or reputation

Etymologies

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Examples

  • The term distinguished is predicable indeed of each of the members, but of each in a different sense.

    Deductive Logic St. George William Joseph Stock

  • The term distinguished between God’s ordination of Israel for unstated reasons of His own—reasons which the Jews spent millennia trying to parse—and, on the other hand, a clear destiny that Americans could readily perceive—our geography, our system of government, our generosity and natural bounty.

    The Chosen Peoples Todd Gitlin 2010

  • The term distinguished between God’s ordination of Israel for unstated reasons of His own—reasons which the Jews spent millennia trying to parse—and, on the other hand, a clear destiny that Americans could readily perceive—our geography, our system of government, our generosity and natural bounty.

    The Chosen Peoples Todd Gitlin 2010

  • The term distinguished between God’s ordination of Israel for unstated reasons of His own—reasons which the Jews spent millennia trying to parse—and, on the other hand, a clear destiny that Americans could readily perceive—our geography, our system of government, our generosity and natural bounty.

    The Chosen Peoples Todd Gitlin 2010

  • In 1949, Vice President Alben W. Barkley became the first office, holder to receive the medal, and since then, Congress has recognized only what it described as the distinguished service of Democratic Speaker of the House Sam Rayburn of Texas, and Democratic senators Robert E Kennedy and Hubert H. Humphrey.

    A Gold Medal For Ol' Blue Eyes? 2008

  • I also think that the authority of each is easily sustained by cases, such as NLRB v. Jones & Laughlin Steel, that can be distinguished from the individual mandate.

    The Volokh Conspiracy » A Better Question 2010

  • The financial crisis (which TARP likely helped to remedy) needs to be sharply distinguished from the economic crisis (which the $850 billion, so-called “stimulus” package has likely served to make matters worse).

    The Volokh Conspiracy » “Lessons From the Financial Crisis”: 2010

  • So that the new lighter-weight quarters could be easily distinguished from the previous issues an arrowhead was added to each side of the obverse date, and rays extending outward from the eagle were added to the reverse.

    Liberty Seated Quarter, Arrows, 1854-1855 : Coin Guide 2009

  • Capacity to identify, attract, and retain distinguished faculty.

    Discourse.net: Admit It, After Reading This You Want to be Our Dean 2009

  • The physical orientation, the Congregation says, must be distinguished from the spiritual.

    Ignatius Insight Article on Restoring Ad Orientem 2009

Comments

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  • The list is long and distinguished

    Yeah so's my johnson

    December 6, 2006