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
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
Jim Burke's Academic Vocabulary 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.
See Examples For:
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
“What has been shared does not reflect the truth, and it’s never been in my character to discriminate against anybody’s skin color,” Keyser said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 30, 2026
The Supreme Court has interpreted this to mean that government actors can’t make decisions that discriminate on the basis of race without meeting demanding constitutional standards known as strict scrutiny.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 11, 2026
Epilepsy Action said all employers have a legal duty under the Equality Act to not discriminate and provide reasonable adjustments for employees with epilepsy.
From BBC ● Jun. 4, 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
The pair are part of a group of around 40 veterans who have been rejected for the payment, and say the scheme's criteria unfairly discriminates against lower-ranking veterans who felt forced out of the military.
From BBC ● Feb. 18, 2026
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
Evangelis resisted the conclusion that Grants Pass discriminates against people without housing.
From Slate ● Apr. 22, 2024
One of the tests by which Fichte discriminates the value of previous systems is the adequateness with which they interpret moral experience.
From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 10, Slice 3 "Fenton, Edward" to "Finistere" by Various
"I want my daughter to have as normal a life as possible. I don't want her to be discriminated against because of her size," she says, adding that she is confident the drug will boost Camila's height.
From BBC ● Jul. 17, 2026
Amazon, Google, Microsoft and others said parts of that proposal discriminated against data centers.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 13, 2026
The Equality Commission has urged any gun owner who feels they have been "discriminated against" to contact it.
From BBC ● Jan. 9, 2026
Judges blocked it from taking effect, and the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals agreed, saying the order discriminated based on nationality.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 1, 2026
You are no longer eligible for food stamps; you may be discriminated against in employment; you cannot vote for at least twelve years; and you are about to be evicted from public housing.
From "The New Jim Crow" by Michelle Alexander
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
These headwinds could cut the chip rally short—making it all the more important for investors to be discriminating in their stock-picking.
From Barron's ● May 29, 2026
The chief justice declared that the way to end racial discrimination was to stop discriminating based on race.
From Salon ● May 9, 2026
“The way to stop discrimination on the basis of race,” he declared in a simplistic tautology, “is to stop discriminating on the basis of race.”
From Slate ● May 7, 2026
When he was enraged by some human effort or flaw, he was able to regard himself as discriminating, fastidious, and full of nice scruples.
From "The Bluest Eye" by Toni Morrison
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.
