discrimination
Americannoun
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an act or instance of discriminating, or of making a distinction.
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treatment or consideration of, or making a distinction in favor of or against, a person or thing based on the group, class, or category to which that person or thing belongs rather than on individual merit.
racial and religious intolerance and discrimination.
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the power of making fine distinctions; discriminating judgment.
She chose the colors with great discrimination.
- Synonyms:
- perception, acumen, taste, discernment
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Archaic. something that serves to differentiate.
noun
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unfair treatment of a person, racial group, minority, etc; action based on prejudice
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subtle appreciation in matters of taste
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the ability to see fine distinctions and differences
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electronics the selection of a signal having a particular frequency, amplitude, phase, etc, effected by the elimination of other signals by means of a discriminator
Other Word Forms
- antidiscrimination adjective
- discriminational adjective
- nondiscrimination noun
- prediscrimination noun
- self-discrimination noun
Etymology
Origin of discrimination
First recorded in 1640–50; from Latin discrīminātiōn-, stem of discrīminātiō “division, separation,” literally “a dividing,” equivalent to discrīmināt(us) “separated” (past participle of discrīmināre “to divide up, separate”; discriminate ) + -ion ( def. )
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The tournament also remains under the jurisdiction of the independent cricket regulator - established following the 2023 Equity in Cricket report, which found discrimination to be "widespread" within the English game.
From BBC
Vinicius has become a global symbol of resistance against discrimination as he strives to get the authorities to toughen their protocols and actions.
From BBC
That is a contractual choice, not arbitrary discrimination.
"I will always continue to reiterate: No to racism, no to any form of discrimination!"
From BBC
This follows Kick It Out - which works to fight racism, sexism and homophobia in football - receiving the highest number of reports of discrimination, external last season.
From BBC
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
