Kenneth G. Wilson (1923–). The Columbia Guide to Standard American English. 1993.
distinguished, distinguishing (adjs.)
Distinguished means “renowned, eminent, marked by excellence, dignified in appearance or manner,” as in She was a distinguished novelist and literary critic or He is a distinguished-looking man. Distinguishing is applied to “those characteristics or qualities that make a person, an idea, or an artifact outstanding, observably different from others of the same general sort,” as in The distinguishing characteristics of the bird’s appearance are its very large size, its very long, strong beak, and its strikingly contrasting red, white, and black feathers. See DIFFERENTIATE.
