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 perceived unfairness of the PIX system and other alleged discriminatory trade practices has led the US to threaten a 25 percent tariff on some Brazilian exports.
From Barron's ● Jul. 14, 2026
“UC Davis School of Medicine strongly disagrees with any characterization of its admissions practices as discriminatory or inconsistent with applicable law,” a school statement read.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 11, 2026
The Chinese embassy in the US told the BBC that the list is "discriminatory" and said firms from China have strictly complied with the laws of host countries.
From BBC ● Jun. 9, 2026
Carr said the review stemmed from a probe into whether the network’s diversity programs were discriminatory and that they had had nothing to do with the latest Kimmel kerfuffle.
From MarketWatch ● May 19, 2026
Decades of cognitive bias research demonstrates that both unconscious and conscious biases lead to discriminatory actions, even when an individual does not want to discriminate.
From "The New Jim Crow" by Michelle Alexander
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.
