discriminate

American  

[dih-skrim-uh-nayt, dih-skrim-uh-nit] / dɪˈskrɪm əˌneɪt, dɪˈskrɪm ə nɪt /

verb (used without object)

• discriminates,
  present (3rd person singular)
• discriminated,
  past participle,  past
• discriminating
  present participle

1. 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.

2. to note or observe a difference; distinguish accurately.

   to discriminate between things.

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verb (used with object)

• discriminates,
  present (3rd person singular)
• discriminated,
  past participle,  past
• discriminating
  present participle

1. to make or constitute a distinction in or between; differentiate.

   a mark that discriminates the original from the copy.

2. to note or distinguish as different.

   He can discriminate minute variations in tone.

adjective

1. marked by discrimination; making or evidencing nice distinctions.

   discriminate people; discriminate judgments.

discriminate British  

verb

1. (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

2. to recognize or understand the difference (between); distinguish

   to discriminate right and wrong

   to discriminate between right and wrong

3. (intr) to constitute or mark a difference

4. (intr) to be discerning in matters of taste

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adjective

1. showing or marked by discrimination

Synonym Usage

See distinguish.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• discriminator
  noun
• prediscriminate
  verb (used with object)
• half-discriminated
  adjective
• undiscriminated
  adjective
• discriminately
  adverb

Inflected Forms

Participles

• discriminating
  present
• discriminated
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• discriminate
  simple
• discriminates
  simple
• have discriminated
  perfect
• has discriminated
  perfect
• am discriminating
  progressive
• are discriminating
  progressive
• is discriminating
  progressive
• have been discriminating
  perfect progressive
• has been discriminating
  perfect progressive

Past

• discriminated
  simple
• had discriminated
  perfect
• was discriminating
  progressive
• were discriminating
  progressive
• had been discriminating
  perfect progressive

Future

• will discriminate
  simple
• will have discriminated
  perfect
• will be discriminating
  progressive
• will have been discriminating
  perfect progressive

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Etymology

Origin of discriminate

First recorded in 1620–30; from Latin discrīminātus “separated,” past participle of discrīmināre “to separate”; see discriminant

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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.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

discriminate discriminates discriminated discriminating

The Justice Department maintains companies have to certify, as a condition of their federal contract, that they won’t discriminate against current or prospective employees based on their race, color, national origin or sex.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 25, 2026

He added the condition "doesn't discriminate", and learning children could also be affected spurred him on to share his story.

From BBC ● Jul. 28, 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

Matters in physics have now reached such a pitch that, as Paul Davies noted in Nature, it is "almost impossible for the non-scientist to discriminate between the legitimately weird and the outright crackpot."

From "A Short History of Nearly Everything" by Bill Bryson

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

Roberts attempted to sidestep this problem by claiming that Tennessee’s law only discriminates on the basis of age and “medical use.”

From Slate ● Jun. 18, 2025

Sentinel Peak, a Denver-based energy company, said the law “intentionally singles out and discriminates against” their operation in the Inglewood Field.

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 28, 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

The child perceives things, discriminates things, knows its mother from a stranger, is angry, or glad, or afraid, long before it has any language or any proper concepts.

From Ways of Nature by John Burroughs

"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

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

It also forbade the use of federal funds for anything that discriminated against anyone, and authorized the federal government to enforce the integration of schools and penalize schools that didn’t comply.

From "Reaching for the Moon" by Katherine Johnson

It forbids the government from "abridging" the freedom of the press - language that courts have traditionally interpreted as preventing the government from discriminating against the media based on the content of their coverage.

From BBC ● Sep. 22, 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

Berkshire is a highly discriminating buyer of stocks and businesses at a time when there are trillions of dollars of capital in the hands of other investors who are less demanding.

From Barron's ● May 3, 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

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