sex vs distinguish

sex is a noun but distinguish is not a noun.

Word	Noun	Adjective	Verb	Adverb
sex	Yes	No	Yes	No
distinguish	No	No	Yes	No

As verbs, distinguish is a hypernym of sex; that is, distinguish is a word with a broader meaning than sex:

Other hypernyms of sex include differentiate, secern, secernate, separate, severalise, severalize, tell, tell apart.

sex (noun)	distinguish (noun)
activities associated with sexual intercourse
the properties that distinguish organisms on the basis of their reproductive roles
all of the feelings resulting from the urge to gratify sexual impulses
either of the two categories (male or female) into which most organisms are divided

sex (verb)	distinguish (verb)
tell the sex (of young chickens)	mark as different
to evoke sexual feelings	identify as in botany or biology, for example
	be a distinctive feature, attribute, or trait; sometimes in a very positive sense
	make conspicuous or noteworthy
	detect with the senses