- present participle of discriminate.
discriminating
Americanadjective
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able to distinguish differences or distinctions; differentiating; analytic.
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noting differences or distinctions with nicety; discerning; perspicacious.
a discriminating interpreter of events.
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having excellent taste or judgment.
a discriminating interior designer.
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differential, as a tariff.
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possessing distinctive features; capable of being differentiated; discriminative.
adjective
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able to see fine distinctions and differences
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discerning in matters of taste
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(of a tariff, import duty, etc) levied at differential rates in order to favour or discourage imports or exports
Other Word Forms
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half-discriminatingadjective
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nondiscriminatingadjective
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overdiscriminatingadjective
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quasi-discriminatingadjective
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undiscriminatingadjective
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discriminatinglyadverb
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half-discriminatinglyadverb
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nondiscriminatinglyadverb
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overdiscriminatinglyadverb
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quasi-discriminatinglyadverb
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undiscriminatinglyadverb
Etymology
Origin of discriminating
First recorded in 1640–50; discriminat(e) + -ing 2
Explanation
Someone discriminating has fine-grained judgment and can tell, for example, the difference between pretty good cookies and incredibly great cookies — a valuable skill. There are many areas of life where being discriminating can help you. A discriminating TV watcher will only watch the best shows, while someone undiscriminating will watch anything that's on. When eating, being discriminating is especially useful: why eat food that's badly prepared or unhealthy if you don't have to? A discriminating person can pick up on the small differences between things and use those differences to make better choices. We should all try to be more discriminating.
Vocabulary lists containing discriminating
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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.
“You’ve seen market participants that are discriminating between the kinds of investments they want to make,” he added.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 31, 2026
This lack of access was "discriminating against people with obesity", he added.
From BBC ● Oct. 14, 2026
Different examiners, same mechanism: Use a regulator’s discretion to make disfavored activity expensive enough that the private institution does the discriminating for you.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 14, 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 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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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
