differ among themselves

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase "differ among themselves" is correct and usable in written English.
It can be used to indicate that multiple subjects have variations or differences from one another. Example: "The opinions of the committee members differ among themselves, leading to a lengthy debate."

✓ Grammatically correct

Science

News & Media

Academia

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

33 human-written examples

With the advent of new powerful spectrometry approaches, a plethora of canonical histone variant paralogs [ 24] have been identified in different cells and tissues that differ among themselves by only one or two amino acids (see for instance [ 25]).

Cancer and Metastasis Reviews

A consequence of these sex differences, upon which Low's book focuses, is that males differ among themselves in reproductive success far more than females.

The New York Times - Books

The report conceded that "societies differ among themselves on the status of women and the roles they should play".

The New York Times

14 Later generations of authors may also differ among themselves on where to set the level of copyright protection.

Harvard University

The formulations differ among themselves, by neglecting some terms on the momentum balance and also on the closure relations.

Chemical Engineering Science

Fitzgerald captures not only the gulf that separates the rich from the unrich, but also the way the rich differ among themselves.

The New York Times

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

27 human-written examples

We evaluated whether guidelines for the different malignancies differed among themselves in the use of grading, aspects of the production and implementation process, timeliness, utilization of randomized evidence, outcomes discussed, and stance towards use of chemotherapy.

Plosone

Then, the GLM procedure in SAS was applied to test for overall differences among clusters followed by a K-means analysis to identify which clusters differed among themselves (XLSTAT, 1995).

BMC Genomics

The four farm types differed among themselves in terms of all studied parameters including a string of background variables, income sources and economic indicators, showing the efficiency of the classification methodology employed.

Agricultural and Food Economics

While these views differed among themselves as to what goodness, rightness, virtue and justice might consist in, they shared a commitment to seeing morality as a wholly natural phenomenon and they all saw moral judgment as a matter of thinking that actions, institutions, or characters had some particular natural property or other.

SEP

Whereas the four latter STs differed from ST1 by a single allelic mismatch, they differed among themselves by two mismatches, indicating that ST1 is the probable founder genotype of CC1, from which the other STs evolved by a single allelic change.

Plosone

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

Use "differ among themselves" to clearly indicate that distinctions exist within a specific group, rather than between separate entities. For example, "The shades of blue paint differ among themselves, offering a wide variety for artists".

Common error

Avoid using "differ among themselves" when referring to a single subject. It is grammatically incorrect to say, "This painting differs among itself." Instead, use "differs from others".

Linguistic Context

The phrase "differ among themselves" functions as a verb phrase indicating that members within a group exhibit variations or distinctions. Ludwig examples showcase its use in various academic, scientific and news contexts. Ludwig AI confirms its grammatical correctness.

Expression frequency: Common

Frequent in

Science

52%

News & Media

28%

Academia

16%

Less common in

Encyclopedias

8%

Formal & Business

4%

Wiki

4%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

The phrase "differ among themselves" effectively communicates that variations exist within a specific group, as demonstrated by Ludwig's examples across scientific, news, and academic contexts. Ludwig AI confirms its grammatical correctness, noting its versatility in indicating heterogeneity. While alternatives like "vary amongst themselves" or "distinguish themselves from each other" exist, the original phrase remains a clear and common choice. Remember to use it when highlighting distinctions within a defined group, avoiding its application to singular subjects to maintain grammatical accuracy.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

vary amongst themselves

Replaces "differ" with "vary" and uses "amongst" instead of "among", providing a slightly more formal tone.

distinguish themselves from each other

Focuses on the act of self-distinction rather than inherent difference.

show differences between each other

Highlights the observable differences rather than the act of differing.

have variations among them

Emphasizes the existence of variations within the group.

are not all the same

A more simplified and informal way of expressing differences.

exhibit disparities among the group

Uses more formal language to highlight inequalities or inconsistencies.

present diverse characteristics

Highlights the variety and range of traits.

contrast with one another

Focuses on the act of contrasting, implying a more direct comparison.

diverge in their attributes

Emphasizes the separation or deviation in qualities.

bear individual distinctions

Focuses on the unique characteristics of each entity.

FAQs

How can I use "differ among themselves" in a sentence?

Use "differ among themselves" to indicate variations or distinctions within a group. For instance, "The approaches to solving the problem "differ among themselves", reflecting diverse perspectives".

What is a simple alternative to "differ among themselves"?

A simpler alternative is "vary among themselves". For example, "The solutions vary among themselves depending on the data set used".

Is it correct to use "differ from each other" instead of "differ among themselves"?

While both are grammatically sound, "differ among themselves" emphasizes differences within a defined group, whereas "differ from each other" can refer to any two or more distinct entities.

Can "differ among themselves" be used for comparing only two items?

While grammatically possible, "differ among themselves" is more appropriate when referring to three or more items. For two items, it's clearer to say "differ from each other" or "differ".