indiscriminate
Americanadjective
-
not discriminating or discerning; lacking in care, judgment, selectivity, etc..
indiscriminate in one's friendships.
-
done at random or without making distinctions; haphazard.
indiscriminate slaughter.
-
not kept apart or divided; thrown together; jumbled.
an indiscriminate combination of colors and styles.
- Synonyms:
- varied, motley, mixed, heterogeneous, random
adjective
-
lacking discrimination or careful choice; random or promiscuous
-
jumbled; confused
Related Words
See miscellaneous.
Other Word Forms
- indiscriminately adverb
- indiscriminateness noun
- indiscrimination noun
Etymology
Origin of indiscriminate
First recorded in 1590–1600; in- 3 + discriminate (adjective)
Explanation
Nuclear bombs are indiscriminate, as are earthquakes. They affect everyone in their path rather than picking or choosing. When something is indiscriminate, it makes no fine distinctions. A dog who eats everything could be said to have indiscriminate taste. If you walk into a store and buy the first pair of pants in your size, no matter what they look like, you are an indiscriminate shopper. Usually though, you'll hear the word used to describe violent acts or natural events because these things do not have a specific target. They affect all people without considering the differences in their lives.
Vocabulary lists containing indiscriminate
This Week in Words: October 28 - November 2, 2018
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Their Eyes Were Watching God
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The Federalist Papers, No. 1 by Alexander Hamilton
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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.
“Basket trading, custom indices and ETFs are driving indiscriminate selling, pulling down everything tied to the sector regardless of business quality,” he said.
From MarketWatch • Mar. 24, 2026
Bill Fitzpatrick, portfolio manager at Logan Capital Management, said the selloff has been indiscriminate, creating opportunity for active stock pickers.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 22, 2026
Politico’s description, meanwhile, was that Blair “encouraged members to curb their hard-line rhetoric about indiscriminate deportations, indicating it could cost them key voting blocs.”
From Slate • Mar. 14, 2026
The minister said these attacks demonstrated how British military personnel and civilians were "at risk with a regime that is increasingly indiscriminate, widespread and uncontrolled in the attacks it is mounting".
From BBC • Mar. 1, 2026
In fact, a hyenas catholicity of taste is so indiscriminate it nearly forces admiration.
From "Life of Pi" by Yann Martel
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.
