Definition of "differentiation" []

• The act or process of differentiating. (noun)
• The state of becoming differentiated. (noun)
• Mathematics The process of computing a derivative. (noun)
• Biology The process by which cells or tissues undergo a change toward a more specialized form or function, especially during embryonic development. (noun)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• "And that's why the term differentiation has acquired a negative connotation."
• "The Lib Dems are now all pretty much agreed that they need to be more aggressive about what they call "differentiation": showing the voters that they are not and never will be Tories, and exposing some of the coalition's internal battles to daylight in order to prove it to the voters."
• "But rather because the students strive for some kind of differentiation from the majority."