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Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1) - Cite This Source - Share This
dif·fer·ent 
[dif-er-uhnt, dif-ruhnt] Pronunciation Key
—Related forms
[dif-er-uhnt, dif-ruhnt] Pronunciation Key –adjective
| 1. | not alike in character or quality; differing; dissimilar: The two are different. |
| 2. | not identical; separate or distinct: three different answers. |
| 3. | various; several: Different people told me the same story. |
| 4. | not ordinary; unusual. |
—Related forms
dif·fer·ent·ly, adverb
dif·fer·ent·ness, noun
—Usage note Although it is frequently claimed that different should be followed only by from, not by than, in actual usage both words occur and have for at least 300 years. From is more common today in introducing a phrase, but than is also used: New York speech is different from (or than) that of Chicago. Than is used to introduce a clause: The stream followed a different course than the map showed. In sentences of this type, from is sometimes used instead of than; when it is, more words are necessary: a different course from the one the map showed. Regardless of the sentence construction, both from and than are standard after different in all varieties of spoken and written American English. In British English to frequently follows different: The early illustrations are very different to the later ones. The use of different in the sense “unusual” is well established in all but the most formal American English: The décor in the new restaurant is really different.
Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1)
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006.
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006.
American Heritage Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This
| dif·fer·ent
(dĭf'ər-ənt, dĭf'rənt) Pronunciation Key
adj.
adv. In a different way or manner; otherwise: "Carol ... didn't know different until Elinor told her" (Ben Brantley). [Middle English, from Old French, from Latin differēns, different-, present participle of differre, to differ; see differ.] dif'fer·ent·ly adv., dif'fer·ent·ness n. Usage Note: Different from and different than are both common in British and American English. The construction different to is chiefly British. Since the 18th century, language critics have singled out different than as incorrect, though it is well attested in the works of reputable writers. According to traditional guidelines, from is used when the comparison is between two persons or things: My book is different from (not than) yours. Different than is more acceptably used, particularly in American usage, where the object of comparison is expressed by a full clause: The campus is different than it was 20 years ago. Different from may be used with a clause if the clause starts with a conjunction and so functions as a noun: The campus is different from how it was 20 years ago. · Sometimes people interpret a simple noun phrase following different than as elliptical for a clause, which allows for a subtle distinction in meaning between the two constructions. How different this seems from Paris suggests that the object of comparison is the city of Paris itself, whereas How different this seems than Paris suggests that the object of comparison is something like "the way things were in Paris" or "what happened in Paris." |
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The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2006 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2006 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
WordNet - Cite This Source - Share This
| differently | |
adverb | |
| in another and different manner; "very soon you will know differently"; "she thought otherwise"; "there is no way out other than the fire escape"; |
WordNet® 3.0, © 2006 by Princeton University.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This
Differently
Dif"fer*ent*ly\, adv. In a different manner; variously.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.
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