discrimination

American  

[dih-skrim-uh-nay-shuhn] / dɪˌskrɪm əˈneɪ ʃən /

noun

• discriminations
  plural

1. an act or instance of discriminating, or of making a distinction.

2. 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.

3. the power of making fine distinctions; discriminating judgment.

   She chose the colors with great discrimination.

   Synonyms:

   perception, acumen, taste, discernment

4. Archaic. something that serves to differentiate.

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discrimination British  

/ dɪˌskrɪmɪˈneɪʃən /

noun

1. unfair treatment of a person, racial group, minority, etc; action based on prejudice

2. subtle appreciation in matters of taste

3. the ability to see fine distinctions and differences

4. 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

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• nondiscrimination
  noun
• prediscrimination
  noun
• self-discrimination
  noun
• antidiscrimination
  adjective
• discriminational
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• discriminations
  plural

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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”; see discriminate) + -ion ( def. )

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Explanation

Discrimination means distinguishing between two or more people or things. Usually, discrimination means an unfair system that treats one group of people worse than another. Discrimination isn't always a bad thing. You have to use discrimination to tell a good restaurant from a bad one, or a good idea from a bad one. However, this word is very tarnished by its main use these days: as a word for unfair treatment of people, based on racism, sexism, homophobia, or another prejudice. There is a huge history of discrimination in the United States.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

discrimination discriminations

Even though the community suffers from extensive poverty due in part to discrimination and the few resources refugees from a war-torn country are able to marshal, it has also produced a large number of entrepreneurs.

From Salon ● Oct. 16, 2026

The tribunal dismissed her other claims of discrimination and victimisation.

From BBC ● Oct. 15, 2026

They wanted advice on how to protect themselves against potential legal action and discrimination allegations if they let the therapists go.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 5, 2026

The UN Human Rights Council on Monday unanimously urged the Taliban to repeal all practices restricting the fundamental freedoms of women and girls, saying Afghanistan's institutionalised discrimination should shock humanity.

From Barron's ● Oct. 5, 2026

In his first month in office, Barack signed the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, which helped protect workers from wage discrimination based on factors like gender, race, or age.

From "Becoming" by Michelle Obama

The #MeToo movement in 2017 increased awareness of the subtle - and the not so subtle - discriminations women face at work.

From BBC ● Oct. 27, 2024

Italy’s watchdog added that the measures imposed aimed at avoiding discriminations and granting efficiency to any potential new players in the sector.

From Reuters ● Oct. 14, 2021

However, as of mid-August, only 28% of young Black New York City residents are vaccinated, often rooted in distrust of government or current discriminations.

From Washington Times ● Sep. 22, 2021

But making discriminations isn’t always discriminatory, and it isn’t a knockdown argument against a rule to say that it excludes good candidates and includes bad ones.

From New York Times ● Jul. 24, 2018

We favor such an enlargement of the scope of the interstate commerce law as will enable the commission to protect individuals and communities from discriminations and the public from unjust and unfair transportation rates.

From A History of the Republican Party by George Washington Platt

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Related Words

• bigotry
• favoritism
• hatred
• inequity
• injustice
• intolerance
• prejudice
• unfairness

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