discriminate
Americanverb (used without object)
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discriminates,
present (3rd person singular)
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discriminated,
past participle, past
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discriminating
present participle
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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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discriminates,
present (3rd person singular)
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discriminated,
past participle, past
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discriminating
present participle
-
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
Synonym Usage
See distinguish.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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discriminatornoun
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prediscriminateverb (used with object)
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half-discriminatedadjective
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undiscriminatedadjective
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discriminatelyadverb
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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discriminatesimple
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discriminatessimple
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have discriminatedperfect
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has discriminatedperfect
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am discriminatingprogressive
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are discriminatingprogressive
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is discriminatingprogressive
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have been discriminatingperfect progressive
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has been discriminatingperfect progressive
Past
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discriminatedsimple
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had discriminatedperfect
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was discriminatingprogressive
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were discriminatingprogressive
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had been discriminatingperfect progressive
Future
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
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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.
See Examples For:
She said she hoped by Becki sharing her story she would help more people understand that a stroke does not discriminate.
From BBC ● Aug. 22, 2026
As a condition of being tax-exempt, nonprofit private schools must attest that they won’t discriminate based on race, color, or national or ethnic origin.
From Salon ● Jul. 27, 2026
If there was a minor traffic infraction or other probable cause to make a stop, proving their motive requires them to confess to acting with intent to discriminate, Willis said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 24, 2026
Mulan Build "sends a message: if these platforms choose to discriminate against us, we do not need to rely on them", she said.
From Barron's ● Jul. 8, 2026
Today it is perfectly legal to discriminate against criminals in nearly all the ways that it was once legal to discriminate against African Americans.
From "The New Jim Crow" by Michelle Alexander
Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson, one of the court’s three liberal justices, said the Idaho law discriminates against people based on their sex or gender identity.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 13, 2026
District Judge David O. Carter ruled in May that the policy discriminates against disabled veterans.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 8, 2024
Papers issued as part of the case claim her decision discriminates against Kneecap on grounds of religious belief or political opinion, as well as racial grounds of nationality and ethnic origin.
From BBC ● Jun. 20, 2024
Evangelis resisted the conclusion that Grants Pass discriminates against people without housing.
From Slate ● Apr. 22, 2024
All things are not equally beautiful because the subjective bias that discriminates between them is the cause of their being beautiful at all.
From The Sense of Beauty Being the Outlines of Aesthetic Theory by George Santayana
OpenAI will pay $3.2 million to settle claims by the Justice Department that it discriminated against U.S. workers by allegedly favoring temporary visa holders from other countries.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 4, 2026
The earlier ruling found that Grover had indirectly discriminated against Tickle.
From BBC ● May 15, 2026
“My dad had gone bust again, and I chose to work three jobs and go to Yale instead. I always felt like if I outperformed, I wouldn’t be discriminated against.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 24, 2026
At the time, Snyder wrote she was “constrained” to block the mask ban because of a last-minute carve-out exempting state police, finding it discriminated against the federal government.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 22, 2026
All the time Bobby weighed possibilities, suggested alternatives, selected the best lines, discriminated, decided.
From "Endgame" by Frank Brady
It is language that courts have long interpreted as preventing the government from discriminating against the media based on the content of their coverage.
From BBC ● Sep. 19, 2026
District Judge Fernando M. Olguin granted the city’s motion to dismiss the complaint, which alleged that the city ordinance violates the intergovernmental immunity doctrine by regulating and discriminating against the federal government.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 23, 2026
The chief justice declared that the way to end racial discrimination was to stop discriminating based on race.
From Salon ● May 9, 2026
It will be more orderly and less chaotic, less driven by impulse and vendetta, more discriminating between allies and adversaries.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 21, 2026
The one quality they all have in common is an informed love of works of art—an attitude at once discriminating and enthusiastic that lends particular weight to their judgments.
From "History of Art, Volume 1" by H.W. Janson
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.
