distinctive
adjective
dis·tinc·tive
di-ˈstiŋ(k)-tiv 
1
a
: marking as separate or different : serving to distinguish
the distinctive flight of the crane
b
: having or giving an uncommon and appealing quality : having or giving style or distinction
a distinctive table setting
a writer with a distinctive prose style
2
linguistics
: capable of making a segment of utterance different in meaning as well as in sound from an otherwise identical utterance
distinctively
adverb
distinctiveness
noun
Synonyms
Examples of distinctive in a Sentence
He had a very distinctive walk.
This wine has a more distinctive flavor than that one.
The store sells only the most distinctive chocolates.
Recent Examples on the Web
His distinctive, intuitive line drawings included slice-of-life scenes and more silly spots, like a newspaper obscured by a quadruple-decker hamburger.
—
Vinnie Neuberg, New York Times, 26 Apr. 2024
And behind the scenes, the company was betting big on the collab, ramping up production of Yeezy’s distinctive, genre-busting sneakers.
—Lila MacLellan, Fortune, 26 Apr. 2024
Pinder was an early proponent of the Mellotron, a keyboard that was essentially an early sampler that created a distinctive orchestral sound that marked many songs by the Moody Blues and other groups of the progressive-rock era.
—Jem Aswad, Variety, 25 Apr. 2024
What is distinctive today is a world order in which few new nation-states can emerge but in which language movements are rising everywhere in response to the pressures of endangerment, through the force of imitation and often under the banner of indigenous rights.
—Ross Perlin, Foreign Affairs, 23 Apr. 2024
The relative modesty of this one was — distinctive.
—Jay Nordlinger, National Review, 23 Apr. 2024
The new trial was distinctive in that the researchers controlled what all participants ate — a rarer and more complex experiment design.
—Aria Bendix, NBC News, 19 Apr. 2024
To define a time period formally, geologists must identify distinctive signals in sediments or rocks that can be correlated around the globe, and the presence of such markers is ubiquitous.
—Smithsonian Magazine, 18 Apr. 2024
The streets became a gritty wasteland until the 1950s and ‘60’s, when artists seeking cheap space began to move into the vast, lofty spaces contained within the distinctive cast iron facades that line the area’s cobblestone streets.
—Mark David, Robb Report, 15 Apr. 2024
Vinnie Neuberg, New York Times, 26 Apr. 2024
And behind the scenes, the company was betting big on the collab, ramping up production of Yeezy’s distinctive, genre-busting sneakers.
—Lila MacLellan, Fortune, 26 Apr. 2024
Pinder was an early proponent of the Mellotron, a keyboard that was essentially an early sampler that created a distinctive orchestral sound that marked many songs by the Moody Blues and other groups of the progressive-rock era.
—Jem Aswad, Variety, 25 Apr. 2024
What is distinctive today is a world order in which few new nation-states can emerge but in which language movements are rising everywhere in response to the pressures of endangerment, through the force of imitation and often under the banner of indigenous rights.
—Ross Perlin, Foreign Affairs, 23 Apr. 2024
The relative modesty of this one was — distinctive.
—Jay Nordlinger, National Review, 23 Apr. 2024
The new trial was distinctive in that the researchers controlled what all participants ate — a rarer and more complex experiment design.
—Aria Bendix, NBC News, 19 Apr. 2024
To define a time period formally, geologists must identify distinctive signals in sediments or rocks that can be correlated around the globe, and the presence of such markers is ubiquitous.
—Smithsonian Magazine, 18 Apr. 2024
The streets became a gritty wasteland until the 1950s and ‘60’s, when artists seeking cheap space began to move into the vast, lofty spaces contained within the distinctive cast iron facades that line the area’s cobblestone streets.
—Mark David, Robb Report, 15 Apr. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'distinctive.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near distinctive
Cite this Entry
“Distinctive.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/distinctive. Accessed 30 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
distinctive
adjective
dis·tinc·tive
dis-ˈtiŋ(k)-tiv
1
: clearly marking a person or a thing as different from others
a distinctive walk
2
: having or giving a special look or way
distinctive clothes
distinctively
adverb
distinctiveness
noun
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