discriminatory
Americanadjective
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characterized by or showing prejudicial treatment, especially as an indication of bias related to age, race, skin color, national origin, religion, sex, gender, etc..
Discriminatory practices in housing historically led to racially segregated neighborhoods.
They passed a discriminatory tax mainly impacting immigrants to the country.
adjective
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based on or showing prejudice; biased
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capable of making fine distinctions
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(of a statistical test) unbiased
Other Word Forms
- discriminatorily adverb
- nondiscriminatory adjective
- undiscriminatory adjective
Etymology
Origin of discriminatory
First recorded in 1820–30; discriminate + -ory 1
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.
County officials have said it will fully cooperate with the attorney general’s investigation, but emphasized that no reviews up to this point “have found any discriminatory or structural bias in the county’s response.”
From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 22, 2026
In a 17-page ruling on Tuesday, Mr Justice Chamberlain said the grounds of the proposed legal challenge were not "reasonably arguable" and that the policy was not discriminatory or "unduly stigmatising" against Freemasons.
From BBC • Feb. 17, 2026
The lawsuit doesn’t accuse Harvard of conducting discriminatory conduct but is seeking a court injunction that would force the university to comply with its demand for documents.
From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 13, 2026
Beijing accused the European Union on Wednesday of taking "discriminatory" measures after the bloc opened an investigation into Chinese clean energy giant Goldwind over concerns the firm unfairly benefitted from state subsidies.
From Barron's • Feb. 4, 2026
“New Negro” quickly came to mean an African American who refused to obey the discriminatory laws under which pre-World War I blacks were forced to live.
From "1919 The Year That Changed America" by Martin W. Sandler
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.
