Distinction
Excellence that sets someone or something apart from others; a mark of honor or superior merit in academic performance.
Often refers to a high level of academic achievement, typically above a simple 'pass,' such as 'graduating with distinction' or 'first-class distinction.'
Word relationships
- Excellence: A general term for superior quality; 'distinction' specifically refers to a recognized mark of that excellence.
- Merit: Worthiness or deservingness, often for good deeds; 'distinction' is a higher, recognized level of merit.
- Honor: Public recognition of achievement or worth, often associated with awards or titles.
- Mediocrity: The quality of being only average or ordinary.
- Failure: Lack of success.
Commonly confused with
- Difference: While 'distinction' can mean a difference, in academic contexts, it specifically refers to a mark of superior achievement, not just any difference.
Word family
- distinct (adjective): Clearly separate and different.
- distinguish (verb): To recognize or treat (someone or something) as different.
- distinctive (adjective): Characteristic of one person or thing, and so serving to distinguish it from others.
Collocations
- graduate with distinction
- academic distinction
- first-class distinction
- mark of distinction
Example sentences
- "He completed his master's degree with distinction, earning praise for his groundbreaking thesis." She graduated with distinction, a testament to her exceptional academic record.
- "Achieving such a high distinction in a competitive field requires extraordinary dedication and talent." The university awards degrees with various levels of distinction, such as cum laude, magna cum laude, and summa cum laude.
Memory hook
Achieving 'DISTINCTION' means you are 'DISTINCTLY' better. Distinctly better
When not to use
While 'distinction' can mean a difference, in an academic context, it almost always refers to high merit. Do not use it to simply mean 'difference' if 'difference' or 'contrast' is more appropriate.
Fun facts
- The Latin phrases 'cum laude,' 'magna cum laude,' and 'summa cum laude' are academic distinctions meaning 'with praise,' 'with great praise,' and 'with highest praise,' respectively.
- In some educational systems, 'distinction' is a specific grade level, often equivalent to an A or A+.
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