Meanings
differ1
present singular third person differs · participle present differing · participle past differed · past differed
- intransitiveNot to have the same traits or characteristics; to be unalike or distinct.
These shoes only differ from those ones in having slightly longer laces.
1 more example
When we look to the individuals of the same variety or sub-variety of our older cultivated plants and animals, one of the first points which strikes us, is, that they generally differ much more from each other, than do the individuals of any one species or variety in a state of nature.
1859, Charles Darwin, On the Origin of Species- intransitiveusuallypeople; groups; people; groupsTo have diverging opinions, disagree.
May 11, 1827, George Canning, Changes in the Administration I differ from the honourable baronet on both these subjects
1 more example
Historical interpretation has differed over the role played by the king of Denmark and Norway in the impignoration of the islands.
1969, “The Pawning of Orkney and Shetland: A Reconsideration of the Events of 1460-9”, in The Scottish Historical Review, volume 48, number 145, Edinburgh University Press, →OCLC, page 35
differ2
Synonyms & antonyms
nounA program that diffs, a diff.
More synonyms by meaning
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
differ · verb
- Proto-Indo-European*dwóh₁
- Proto-Indo-European*trísinflu.
- Proto-Indo-European*d(w)is-
- Proto-Italic*dis-
- Latindis-
- Proto-Indo-European*bʰer-
- Proto-Indo-European*bʰéreti
- Proto-Italic*ferō
- Latinferō
- Latindifferō
- Old Frenchdifferer
- Middle Englishdifferren
- Englishdiffer
From Middle English differren, from Old French differer, from Latin differō (“carry apart, put off, defer; differ”), from dis- (“apart”) + ferō (“carry, bear”). Compare Ancient Greek διαφέρω (diaphérō). Doublet of defer and dilate, see also infer, confer and collate, refer and relate, as well as prefer and prelate among others.
More words from Middle English, Old French, Latin
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Ancient Greek διαφέρω, διαφέρω
- διαφέρω (diaphérō)to have diverging opinions, disagree
- διαφέρω (diaphérō)not to have the same characteristics
Arabic اِخْتَلَفَ, اِخْتَلَفَ
- اِخْتَلَفَ (iḵtalafa)to have diverging opinions, disagree
- اِخْتَلَفَ (iḵtalafa)not to have the same characteristics
Bulgarian не съм съгласен, различа́вам се
- не съм съгласен (ne săm săglasen)to have diverging opinions, disagree
- различа́вам се (različávam se)not to have the same characteristics
Catalan diferir
- diferirnot to have the same characteristics
Chinese Mandarin 异议, 不同
- 异议 (yì yì)to have diverging opinions, disagree
- 不同 (bùtóng)not to have the same characteristics
- 差別 /差别 (chābié)not to have the same characteristics
- 不一樣 /不一样 (bù yīyàng)not to have the same characteristics
Czech lišit se
- lišit senot to have the same characteristics
Danish være uenig (e), være forskellig (e)
- være uenig (e)to have diverging opinions, disagree
- være forskellig (e)not to have the same characteristics
Dutch verschillen, verschillen
- verschillento have diverging opinions, disagree
- verschillennot to have the same characteristics
- afwijkennot to have the same characteristics
- schelennot to have the same characteristics
Esperanto malsimili, diferenci
- malsimilinot to have the same characteristics
- diferencinot to have the same characteristics
Finnish olla eri mieltä, erota
- olla eri mieltäto have diverging opinions, disagree
- erotanot to have the same characteristics
French différer, différer
- différerto have diverging opinions, disagree
- différernot to have the same characteristics
German unterschiedlicher Meinung sein, sich uneinig sein
- unterschiedlicher Meinung seinto have diverging opinions, disagree
- sich uneinig seinto have diverging opinions, disagree
- streitento have diverging opinions, disagree
- verschiedener Meinung seinto have diverging opinions, disagree
- anderer Meinung seinto have diverging opinions, disagree
- uneinig werdento have diverging opinions, disagree
- sich unterscheidennot to have the same characteristics
- abweichennot to have the same characteristics
- differierennot to have the same characteristics
- verschieden seinnot to have the same characteristics
- nicht übereinstimmennot to have the same characteristics
Greek διαφέρω, διαφέρω
- διαφέρω (diaféro)to have diverging opinions, disagree
- διαφέρω (diaféro)not to have the same characteristics
Hungarian különbözik
- különböziknot to have the same characteristics
Indonesian beda, berbeda
- bedanot to have the same characteristics
- berbedanot to have the same characteristics
- berlainannot to have the same characteristics
Italian differire, essere differente
- differirenot to have the same characteristics
- essere differentenot to have the same characteristics
- essere diversonot to have the same characteristics
Japanese 異なる, 違う
- 異なる (kotonaru)not to have the same characteristics
- 違う (chigau)not to have the same characteristics
Korean 다르다
- 다르다 (dareuda)not to have the same characteristics
Latin differō
- differōnot to have the same characteristics
Māori horo
- horonot to have the same characteristics
Polish nie zgadzać się, mieć inne zdanie
- nie zgadzać sięto have diverging opinions, disagree
- mieć inne zdanieto have diverging opinions, disagree
- różnić sięnot to have the same characteristics
Portuguese divergir, diferir
- divergirto have diverging opinions, disagree
- diferirnot to have the same characteristics
Russian расходи́ться во мне́ниях, отлича́ться
- расходи́ться во мне́ниях (rasxodítʹsja vo mnénijax)to have diverging opinions, disagree
- отлича́ться (otličátʹsja)not to have the same characteristics
- отличи́ться (otličítʹsja)not to have the same characteristics
- различа́ться (različátʹsja)not to have the same characteristics
- различи́ться (različítʹsja)not to have the same characteristics
Spanish diferir, diferir
- diferirto have diverging opinions, disagree
- diferirnot to have the same characteristics
- diferecernot to have the same characteristics
- distarnot to have the same characteristics
Swahili kukhitalifiana
- kukhitalifianato have diverging opinions, disagree
Swedish ha en avvikande uppfattning, tycka annorlunda
- ha en avvikande uppfattningto have diverging opinions, disagree
- tycka annorlundato have diverging opinions, disagree
- vara av en annan meningto have diverging opinions, disagree
- vara olik (a)not to have the same characteristics
- skilja sig åtnot to have the same characteristics
- avvikanot to have the same characteristics
Tamil வேறுபடு
- வேறுபடு (vēṟupaṭu)not to have the same characteristics
Ukrainian відрізня́тися, різни́тися
- відрізня́тися (vidriznjátysja)not to have the same characteristics
- різни́тися (riznýtysja)not to have the same characteristics
Vietnamese khác, không giống
- khácnot to have the same characteristics
- không giốngnot to have the same characteristics
Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with differ
All rhymes →Anagrams
Cite this entry
differ. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/differ
“differ.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/differ. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “differ,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/differ.
Source: differ on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.