indiscriminate

[in-di-skrim-uh-nit]

adjective

1. not discriminating or discerning; lacking in care, judgment, selectivity, etc..

   indiscriminate in one's friendships.

2. done at random or without making distinctions; haphazard.

   indiscriminate slaughter.

3. not kept apart or divided; thrown together; jumbled.

   an indiscriminate combination of colors and styles.

   Synonyms: varied, motley, mixed, heterogeneous, random

indiscriminate

/ ˌɪndɪˈskrɪmɪnɪt /

adjective

1. lacking discrimination or careful choice; random or promiscuous

2. jumbled; confused

Other Word Forms

• indiscriminately adverb
• indiscriminateness noun
• indiscrimination noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of indiscriminate¹

First recorded in 1590–1600; in- ³ + discriminate (adjective)

Synonym Study

See miscellaneous.

Example Sentences

"Big issues are indiscriminate. Everyone has to go through them," he nods.

Read more on BBC

"They're built to ensnare sharks or fish and they're deadly effective, but sadly completely indiscriminate," says Dean Cropp who, as a cinematographer and ocean explorer, has been documenting these nets for years.

Read more on BBC

During the American Secret War, there was an indiscriminate bombing on civilians of Laos — at least one ton of ordnance dropped for every child, woman and man living in Laos during the 1960-70s.

Read more on Salon

But such indiscriminate tactics were not allowed in California’s Eastern District after the American Civil Liberties Union and United Farm Workers filed suit against the Border Patrol earlier in the year and won an injunction.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Officials contend there are no “indiscriminate stops” being made and that enforcement targets those who are illegally present in the country.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• aimless 
• extensive 
• haphazard 
• unplanned 
• wholesale