indiscriminately
Americanadverb
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without exercising discernment or making appropriate distinctions.
Unfortunately, a lot of the bad name attributed to modern poetry is caused by people indiscriminately publishing just anything and calling it “poetry.”
-
in a haphazard or random way.
The troops reacted to the explosion by indiscriminately firing in all directions.
Etymology
Origin of indiscriminately
Explanation
Indiscriminately means in a random or careless way. If your teacher graded indiscriminately, she'd assign As and Ds haphazardly, without even considering her students' work. This adverb is great for describing action that's taken in a completely unsystematic way. One child puts away his toys carefully, sorting blocks into one basket and stuffed animals into another. His sister, on the other hand, indiscriminately tosses all her toys into one large box. When you discriminate, you recognize the difference between things; act indiscriminately, and you pay no attention to these distinctions. An alternate meaning is "without judgment."
Vocabulary lists containing indiscriminately
"The Bet" by Anton Chekhov
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The Awakening
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Words with 15 or More Letters, List 1
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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.
Indiscriminately banning sending and sharing of unsolicited information, they also say, will potentially reduce internet usage and cripple e-commerce.
From Reuters • Oct. 13, 2022
Indiscriminately buying hundreds of stocks, then accepting whatever return the market provided?
From Seattle Times • Sep. 4, 2016
Indiscriminately we have to swallow the "universe" or indiscriminately we have to let the "universe" alone.
From The Complex Vision by Powys, John Cowper
"Indiscriminately, she also addressed her maids waiting at table with the same endearment."
From Gilbert Keith Chesterton by Ward, Maisie
Indiscriminately employed, it is worse than useless—it can be confusing or actually misleading.
From Taboo and Genetics A Study of the Biological, Sociological and Psychological Foundation of the Family by Knight, Melvin Moses
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.
