discrimination
[dih-skrim-uh-ney-shuh n]
- an act or instance of discriminating, or of making a distinction.
- treatment or consideration of, or making a distinction in favor of or against, a person or thing based on the group, class, or category to which that person or thing belongs rather than on individual merit: racial and religious intolerance and discrimination.
- the power of making fine distinctions; discriminating judgment: She chose the colors with great discrimination.
- Archaic. something that serves to differentiate.
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Origin of discrimination
Synonyms
See more synonyms for discrimination on Thesaurus.com3. discernment, taste, acumen, perception.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Examples from the Web for discrimination
Contemporary Examples
In Scandinavian countries this discrimination has been dramatically reduced.
But most of this gap, say the researchers who carried out the study, is due to discrimination.
After the Iranian Revolution, discrimination took on a sectarian flavor.
And as bad as it might be for gay or lesbian people, the discrimination is markedly worse for transgender people.
Allowing some people to discriminate sends the message that discrimination is okay.
Historical Examples
He was calmer now, and able to talk about the Dublin shooting with some discrimination.
Changing WindsSt. John G. Ervine
Manufacturers are already beginning to make a discrimination between wool that is clean and that which is not so.
Facts should be regarded as poisons, to be used sparingly and with discrimination.
The Curse of EducationHarold E. Gorst
She could fire the light-bombs with a discrimination which he might miss.
The Game of Rat and DragonCordwainer Smith
We do not often call them "salaries" but wages, and probably with some discrimination.
Rural Life and the Rural SchoolJoseph Kennedy
discrimination
- unfair treatment of a person, racial group, minority, etc; action based on prejudice
- subtle appreciation in matters of taste
- the ability to see fine distinctions and differences
- electronics the selection of a signal having a particular frequency, amplitude, phase, etc, effected by the elimination of other signals by means of a discriminator
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Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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Word Origin and History for discrimination
n.
1640s, "the making of distinctions," from Late Latin discriminationem (nominative discriminatio), noun of action from past participle stem of discriminare (see discriminate). Especially in a prejudicial way, based on race, 1866, American English. Meaning "discernment" is from 1814.
It especially annoys me when racists are accused of 'discrimination.' The ability to discriminate is a precious facility; by judging all members of one 'race' to be the same, the racist precisely shows himself incapable of discrimination. [Christopher Hitchens]
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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper