distinctiveness

distinctive (dɪˈstɪŋktɪv)

—*adj*
1.	serving or tending to distinguish
2.	denoting one of a set of minimal features of a phoneme in a given language that serve to distinguish it from other phonemes. The distinctive features of /p/ in English are that it is voiceless, bilabial, non-nasal, and plosive; /b/ is voiced, bilabial, non-nasal, and plosive: the two differ by the distinctive feature of voice

dis'tinctively

—*adv*

dis'tinctiveness

—n

distinctive (dɪˈstɪŋktɪv)

—*adj*
1.	serving or tending to distinguish
2.	denoting one of a set of minimal features of a phoneme in a given language that serve to distinguish it from other phonemes. The distinctive features of /p/ in English are that it is voiceless, bilabial, non-nasal, and plosive; /b/ is voiced, bilabial, non-nasal, and plosive: the two differ by the distinctive feature of voice

dis'tinctively

—*adv*

dis'tinctiveness

—n

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
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Etymonline

Word Origin & History

distinctive

"markedly individual," 1580s; from distinct + -ive. Related: Distinctively.

Matching Quote

"The work of adult life is not easy. As in childhood, each step presents not only new tasks of development but requires a letting go of the techniques that worked before. With each passage some magic must be given up, some cherished illusion of safety and comfortably familiar sense of self must be cast off, to allow for the greater expansion of our distinctiveness."

-Gail Sheehy

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