discriminate
Americanverb (used without object)
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discriminates,
present (3rd person singular)
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discriminated,
past participle, past
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discriminating
present participle
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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.
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to note or observe a difference; distinguish accurately.
to discriminate between things.
verb (used with object)
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discriminates,
present (3rd person singular)
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discriminated,
past participle, past
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discriminating
present participle
-
to make or constitute a distinction in or between; differentiate.
a mark that discriminates the original from the copy.
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to note or distinguish as different.
He can discriminate minute variations in tone.
adjective
verb
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(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
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to recognize or understand the difference (between); distinguish
to discriminate right and wrong
to discriminate between right and wrong
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(intr) to constitute or mark a difference
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(intr) to be discerning in matters of taste
adjective
Synonym Usage
See distinguish.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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discriminatornoun
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prediscriminateverb (used with object)
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half-discriminatedadjective
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undiscriminatedadjective
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discriminatelyadverb
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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discriminatesimple
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discriminatessimple
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have discriminatedperfect
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has discriminatedperfect
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am discriminatingprogressive
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are discriminatingprogressive
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is discriminatingprogressive
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have been discriminatingperfect progressive
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has been discriminatingperfect progressive
Past
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discriminatedsimple
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had discriminatedperfect
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was discriminatingprogressive
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were discriminatingprogressive
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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
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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.
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
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
“These fires did not discriminate based on party or political preference. Neither should this administration,” they added.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 25, 2026
The Housing Rights Act of 1968, making it illegal to discriminate in the housing industry based on race, had lingered in Congress for years, vehemently opposed by legislators both in the North and the South.
From "Hidden Figures" by Margot Lee Shetterly
The pair are part of a group of around 40 veterans who have been rejected for the payment, and say the scheme's criteria unfairly discriminates against lower-ranking veterans who felt forced out of the military.
From BBC ● Feb. 18, 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
She assigns her reasons for the choice of her historians, and discriminates between the two authors.
From Calamities and Quarrels of Authors by Isaac Disraeli
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
OpenAI will pay $3.2 million to settle claims by the Justice Department that it discriminated against U.S. workers by allegedly favoring temporary visa holders from other countries.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 4, 2026
He argues it is "unreasonable" and that Canada has discriminated against the US by not charging other countries a similar tax.
From BBC ● Jul. 20, 2026
“My dad had gone bust again, and I chose to work three jobs and go to Yale instead. I always felt like if I outperformed, I wouldn’t be discriminated against.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 24, 2026
All the time Bobby weighed possibilities, suggested alternatives, selected the best lines, discriminated, decided.
From "Endgame" by Frank Brady
Title VII of the 1964 Civil Rights Act prohibits employers from discriminating on the basis of religion, race, sex and national origin.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 17, 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
The chief justice declared that the way to end racial discrimination was to stop discriminating based on race.
From Salon ● May 9, 2026
“The way to stop discrimination on the basis of race,” he declared in a simplistic tautology, “is to stop discriminating on the basis of race.”
From Slate ● May 7, 2026
The man seemed to go out of his way to use long words like discriminating and unadulterated.
From "Boy: Tales of a Childhood" by Roald Dahl
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.
