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
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.
The FCC said the review of the network’s licenses would focus on whether it had been discriminatory in its diversity and inclusion policies.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 18, 2026
Trump is especially interested in Section 301, which is meant to remedy foreign trade practices that are discriminatory, unfair or unreasonable, and that burden U.S. commerce.
From Salon ● Aug. 16, 2026
The court records were made public this week by the ACLU, which is part of a coalition seeking to bar an “ongoing campaign of suspicionless and discriminatory detentive stops” in the Central District of California.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 11, 2026
The justification was Canada's alleged discriminatory treatment of US exports, with duties effective after a month.
From Barron's ● Jul. 24, 2026
The wind, it seems, isn’t discriminatory in which kind of plant pollen it blows.
From "The Adoration of Jenna Fox" by Mary E. Pearson
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.
