The process includes the development of a cell with a more distinct form and functions from a less specialized cell. It is also known as cell differentiation. The common example of cell differentiation includes the development of a fetus from a single-celled zygote. The zygote is a type of less specialized cell that becomes a complex multicellular embryo and then a fetus. The whole process includes changes in the cell size, shape, polarity, metabolism, and responsiveness to signals that develop a cell into a more specialized cell.

The differentiated cell also acquires a more specific role as compared to the undifferentiated cell. In medicine, the term differentiation is defined as the determination of which among the diseases with similar symptoms is the one that the patient is suffering. In simple words, it is the systematic method to determine the disease based on the symptoms of the patient.