A distinction is made actively, labelling things distinctly, with different names. A difference refers to some properties of the things not being the same. The phrase just means “to label things differently while they are not actually different”, and you could qualify it a bit to say “except maybe in degree”.
Yes, of course their meanings overlap. Both of these words have several definitions. Even so, a distinction is more about the act of making a distinction, while a difference is more about how the things actually are.
What’s the difference between distinction and difference? I hate this silly platitude.
A distinction is made actively, labelling things distinctly, with different names. A difference refers to some properties of the things not being the same. The phrase just means “to label things differently while they are not actually different”, and you could qualify it a bit to say “except maybe in degree”.
The definitiom of distinctly has the word different in it.
Yes, of course their meanings overlap. Both of these words have several definitions. Even so, a distinction is more about the act of making a distinction, while a difference is more about how the things actually are.