discriminate
Americanverb (used without object)
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to make a distinction in favor of or against a person or thing on the basis of the group, class, or category to which the person or thing belongs rather than according to actual merit; show partiality.
The new law discriminates against foreigners. He discriminates in favor of his relatives.
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to note or observe a difference; distinguish accurately.
to discriminate between things.
verb (used with object)
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to make or constitute a distinction in or between; differentiate.
a mark that discriminates the original from the copy.
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to note or distinguish as different.
He can discriminate minute variations in tone.
adjective
verb
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(intr; usually foll by in favour of or against) to single out a particular person, group, etc, for special favour or, esp, disfavour, often because of a characteristic such as race, colour, sex, intelligence, etc
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to recognize or understand the difference (between); distinguish
to discriminate right and wrong
to discriminate between right and wrong
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(intr) to constitute or mark a difference
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(intr) to be discerning in matters of taste
adjective
Related Words
See distinguish.
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of discriminate
First recorded in 1620–30; from Latin discrīminātus “separated,” past participle of discrīmināre “to separate”; see discriminant
Explanation
When you discriminate between two things, you can tell the difference between them and can tell them apart. The ability to discriminate between similar objects is important. For example, if you want to be a good root farmer, it helps if you can discriminate between a turnip and a parsnip. However, some people take it too far and discriminate against other people, treating them differently based on their physical characteristics or abilities. To be able to discriminate between a turnip and a radish is good, but to discriminate against people is not.
Vocabulary lists containing discriminate
Jim Burke's Academic Vocabulary List
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Dear Martin
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Ruth Bader Ginsburg (1933–2020) Tribute List
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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.
Washington Won’t Discriminate, the campaign against I-1515, has been endorsed by Google, Microsoft and Vulcan, among others.
From Seattle Times • Apr. 29, 2016
That paper, “The Ability of the 200-inch Telescope to Discriminate Between Selected World Models,” may well have been “the most influential paper ever written in any field even close to cosmology,” Dr. Gunn said.
From New York Times • Nov. 18, 2010
Firepower Discriminate fires are important due to the likelihood of people and structures being in close proximity to the desired target.
From Shock and Awe — Achieving Rapid Dominance by Wade, James P.
Discriminate against efficient workers; complain unjustly about their work.
From Simple Sabotage Field Manual by United States. Office of Strategic Services
Discriminate fires require precision in target cordinate identification and location.
From Shock and Awe — Achieving Rapid Dominance by Wade, James P.
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.
