discrimination

[dih-skrim-uh-ney-shuhn]

noun

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.

discrimination

/ 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

Other Word Forms

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of discrimination¹

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

McMahon has gutted the Education Department’s civil rights division, where lawyers and other federal employees work to ensure all students can access public school, free from discrimination.

Read more on Salon

Six police officers were involved in a WhatsApp group involving jokes about murder victims and where messages "read like a grotesque carnival of discrimination and abuse", a misconduct hearing was told.

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This revision was a response to those who questioned why the original bill language addressed only discrimination against Jews.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

The lawsuit lays out years’ worth of discrimination allegations that culminated in what her attorney argues are baseless retaliatory internal affairs investigations probing her conduct.

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She said that "those who have been in care often face discrimination, harassment and victimisation throughout their lives, in housing, education, health, employment and the justice system".

Read more on BBC

Related Words

• bigotry 
• favoritism 
• hatred 
• inequity 
• injustice 
• intolerance 
• prejudice 
• unfairness www.thesaurus.com