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
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:
The law that created the center, he said, makes no distinction between the powers of different trustees, and it doesn’t permit the board to discriminate between them on powers, including the right to vote.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 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
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
Stagehand would carry the same colors as his nearly identical full brother, Sceneshifter, but to enable the race caller to discriminate between them, Stagehand’s jockey was to wear a white cap, Sceneshifter’s a red one.
From "Seabiscuit: An American Legend" by Laura Hillenbrand
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
District Judge David O. Carter wrote that the outsourcing “facially discriminates against veterans based on their disabilities.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 15, 2024
Now, the intellectual process, the intelligence that discriminates, the thought that justifies the singer's emotional expression as that fitted to the words, are weighed in the balance.
From The Voice Its Production, Care and Preservation by Frank E. Miller
Osman is seeking damages and a declaration that he was discriminated against.
From BBC ● Sep. 30, 2026
He added that the defender had acted "unreasonably" in leaving it until 5 August to accept it had discriminated against Simon.
From BBC ● Aug. 17, 2026
OpenAI is settling claims by the Justice Department that it discriminated against U.S. workers when advertising jobs through its immigration sponsorship program.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 4, 2026
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
A rising union man named Samuel Gompers stopped by Burnham’s office to discuss allegations that the exposition discriminated against union workers.
From "The Devil in the White City" by Erik Larson
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
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 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.
