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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Dear Martin
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Ruth Bader Ginsburg (1933–2020) Tribute 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:
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
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
“They didn’t have the bandwidth to discriminate among them,” Kraemer said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 11, 2026
The Housing Rights Act of 1968, making it illegal to discriminate in the housing industry based on race, had lingered in Congress for years, vehemently opposed by legislators both in the North and the South.
From "Hidden Figures" by Margot Lee Shetterly
Snyder struck it down on Feb. 9, writing that she was “constrained” to do so because the exemption of state police “unlawfully discriminates against federal officers.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 4, 2026
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
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
The opportunist in Commines was vigilantly awake, that nice sense which discriminates the rising power and clings to its skirts.
From The Justice of the King by Drummond, Hamilton
"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 Justice Department sued Cloudera, alleging the software company discriminated against U.S. workers in favor of temporary visa applicants.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 28, 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
The Equality Commission has urged any gun owner who feels they have been "discriminated against" to contact it.
From BBC ● Jan. 9, 2026
“Except state, not federal. With an emphasis on private, independent schools. Tuition or no tuition, you shouldn’t have been discriminated against.”
From "Black Brother, Black Brother" by Jewell Parker Rhodes
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
The Air Carrier Access Act prohibits commercial airlines from discriminating against passengers with disabilities.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 27, 2026
The school wasn’t as discriminating as the better-known medical colleges in Boston; the press of acceptances necessitated an expansion.
From "The Underground Railroad: A Novel" by Colson Whitehead
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.
