discriminate
Americanverb (used without object)
-
discriminates,
present (3rd person singular)
-
discriminated,
past participle, past
-
discriminating
present participle
-
to make a distinction in favor of or against a person or thing on the basis of the group, class, or category to which the person or thing belongs rather than according to actual merit; show partiality.
The new law discriminates against foreigners. He discriminates in favor of his relatives.
-
to note or observe a difference; distinguish accurately.
to discriminate between things.
verb (used with object)
-
discriminates,
present (3rd person singular)
-
discriminated,
past participle, past
-
discriminating
present participle
-
to make or constitute a distinction in or between; differentiate.
a mark that discriminates the original from the copy.
-
to note or distinguish as different.
He can discriminate minute variations in tone.
adjective
verb
-
(intr; usually foll by in favour of or against) to single out a particular person, group, etc, for special favour or, esp, disfavour, often because of a characteristic such as race, colour, sex, intelligence, etc
-
to recognize or understand the difference (between); distinguish
to discriminate right and wrong
to discriminate between right and wrong
-
(intr) to constitute or mark a difference
-
(intr) to be discerning in matters of taste
adjective
Synonym Usage
See distinguish.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
-
discriminatornoun
-
prediscriminateverb (used with object)
-
half-discriminatedadjective
-
undiscriminatedadjective
-
discriminatelyadverb
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
discriminatesimple
-
discriminatessimple
-
have discriminatedperfect
-
has discriminatedperfect
-
am discriminatingprogressive
-
are discriminatingprogressive
-
is discriminatingprogressive
-
have been discriminatingperfect progressive
-
has been discriminatingperfect progressive
Past
-
discriminatedsimple
-
had discriminatedperfect
-
was discriminatingprogressive
-
were discriminatingprogressive
-
had been discriminatingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of discriminate
First recorded in 1620–30; from Latin discrīminātus “separated,” past participle of discrīmināre “to separate”; see discriminant
Explanation
When you discriminate between two things, you can tell the difference between them and can tell them apart. The ability to discriminate between similar objects is important. For example, if you want to be a good root farmer, it helps if you can discriminate between a turnip and a parsnip. However, some people take it too far and discriminate against other people, treating them differently based on their physical characteristics or abilities. To be able to discriminate between a turnip and a radish is good, but to discriminate against people is not.
Vocabulary lists containing discriminate
Jim Burke's Academic Vocabulary List
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
Dear Martin
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
Ruth Bader Ginsburg (1933–2020) Tribute List
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
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.
See Examples For:
The Justice Department maintains companies have to certify, as a condition of their federal contract, that they won’t discriminate against current or prospective employees based on their race, color, national origin or sex.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 25, 2026
“Practices that discriminate against people who are not married are increasingly out of step with how we live now,” she said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 4, 2026
As a condition of being tax-exempt, nonprofit private schools must attest that they won’t discriminate based on race, color, or national or ethnic origin.
From Salon ● Jul. 27, 2026
Mulan Build "sends a message: if these platforms choose to discriminate against us, we do not need to rely on them", she said.
From Barron's ● Jul. 8, 2026
The falcons and owls and eagles have no civil rights because you discriminate against them.
From "Frightful's Mountain" by Jean Craighead George
While employers should be able to offer a competitive salary, this should not "create a pattern that discriminates," he said.
From BBC ● Oct. 28, 2026
Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson, one of the court’s three liberal justices, said the Idaho law discriminates against people based on their sex or gender identity.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 13, 2026
District Judge David O. Carter ruled in May that the policy discriminates against disabled veterans.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 8, 2024
Evangelis resisted the conclusion that Grants Pass discriminates against people without housing.
From Slate ● Apr. 22, 2024
In 1897 and 1899 the suffragists made strenuous attempts to secure a bill to amend the Intestate Law, which greatly discriminates against married women, but it was killed in committee.
From The History of Woman Suffrage, Volume IV by Ida Husted Harper
“Today’s report provides irrefutable evidence that the nation’s largest banks have denied, debanked and discriminated against customers and lawful businesses,” Comptroller of the Currency Jonathan Gould said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 14, 2026
He said: "The defender conceded that the defender discriminated against the pursuer, contrary to the provisions of the Equalities Act."
From BBC ● Aug. 17, 2026
He added that the defender had acted "unreasonably" in leaving it until 5 August to accept it had discriminated against Simon.
From BBC ● Aug. 17, 2026
OpenAI is settling claims by the Justice Department that it discriminated against U.S. workers when advertising jobs through its immigration sponsorship program.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 4, 2026
It also forbade the use of federal funds for anything that discriminated against anyone, and authorized the federal government to enforce the integration of schools and penalize schools that didn’t comply.
From "Reaching for the Moon" by Katherine Johnson
It forbids the government from "abridging" the freedom of the press - language that courts have traditionally interpreted as preventing the government from discriminating against the media based on the content of their coverage.
From BBC ● Sep. 22, 2026
“Investors are being much more discriminating as to where they put their money than they would in a market where there’s a lot of liquidity,” the EQT Group chair said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 30, 2026
District Judge Fernando M. Olguin granted the city’s motion to dismiss the complaint, which alleged that the city ordinance violates the intergovernmental immunity doctrine by regulating and discriminating against the federal government.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 23, 2026
These headwinds could cut the chip rally short—making it all the more important for investors to be discriminating in their stock-picking.
From Barron's ● May 29, 2026
When he was enraged by some human effort or flaw, he was able to regard himself as discriminating, fastidious, and full of nice scruples.
From "The Bluest Eye" by Toni Morrison
Random Word
Spin the wheel and learn a new word!
Get a wordDefinitions 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.
