discrimination

American  

[dih-skrim-uh-nay-shuhn] / dɪˌskrɪm əˈneɪ ʃən /

noun

• discriminations
  plural

1. an act or instance of discriminating, or of making a distinction.

2. 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.

3. the power of making fine distinctions; discriminating judgment.

   She chose the colors with great discrimination.

   Synonyms:

   perception, acumen, taste, discernment

4. Archaic. something that serves to differentiate.

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discrimination British  

/ dɪˌskrɪmɪˈneɪʃən /

noun

1. unfair treatment of a person, racial group, minority, etc; action based on prejudice

2. subtle appreciation in matters of taste

3. the ability to see fine distinctions and differences

4. 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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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• nondiscrimination
  noun
• prediscrimination
  noun
• self-discrimination
  noun
• antidiscrimination
  adjective
• discriminational
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• discriminations
  plural

Etymology

Origin of discrimination

First recorded in 1640–50; from Latin discrīminātiōn-, stem of discrīminātiō “division, separation,” literally “a dividing,” equivalent to discrīmināt(us) “separated” (past participle of discrīmināre “to divide up, separate”; see discriminate) + -ion ( def. )

Explanation

Discrimination means distinguishing between two or more people or things. Usually, discrimination means an unfair system that treats one group of people worse than another. Discrimination isn't always a bad thing. You have to use discrimination to tell a good restaurant from a bad one, or a good idea from a bad one. However, this word is very tarnished by its main use these days: as a word for unfair treatment of people, based on racism, sexism, homophobia, or another prejudice. There is a huge history of discrimination in the United States.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

discrimination discriminations

Before her foray into politics, she was an attorney who founded a legal health clinic in Mississippi to combat discrimination in housing, employment and medical care against HIV/AIDS patients.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 1, 2026

It follows comments from the prime minister where he told reporters there was a "case to remove that discrimination perhaps on a trial basis".

From BBC ● Sep. 24, 2026

Asheville has backed reparations for slavery, protested Immigration and Customs Enforcement and banned discrimination based on gender identity.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 17, 2026

A spokesperson for Columbia declined to comment on pending litigation, but said the university “is committed to protecting our community from discrimination and harassment.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 14, 2026

Unlikely as it may seem, the television game show The Weakest Link provides a unique laboratory to study discrimination.

From "Freakonomics: A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything" by Steven D. Levitt

The #MeToo movement in 2017 increased awareness of the subtle - and the not so subtle - discriminations women face at work.

From BBC ● Oct. 27, 2024

Italy’s watchdog added that the measures imposed aimed at avoiding discriminations and granting efficiency to any potential new players in the sector.

From Reuters ● Oct. 14, 2021

However, as of mid-August, only 28% of young Black New York City residents are vaccinated, often rooted in distrust of government or current discriminations.

From Washington Times ● Sep. 22, 2021

But making discriminations isn’t always discriminatory, and it isn’t a knockdown argument against a rule to say that it excludes good candidates and includes bad ones.

From New York Times ● Jul. 24, 2018

The tiredness of their faces seemed to slur over the delicate discriminations that really existed between them.

From The Furnace by Dame Rose Macaulay

Related Words

• bigotry
• favoritism
• hatred
• inequity
• injustice
• intolerance
• prejudice
• unfairness