discrimination

American  

[dih-skrim-uh-ney-shuhn] / dɪˌskrɪm əˈneɪ ʃən /

noun

1. an act or instance of discriminating, or of making a distinction.

2. treatment or consideration of, or making a distinction in favor of or against, a person or thing based on the group, class, or category to which that person or thing belongs rather than on individual merit.

   racial and religious intolerance and discrimination.

3. the power of making fine distinctions; discriminating judgment.

   She chose the colors with great discrimination.

   Synonyms:

   perception, acumen, taste, discernment

4. Archaic. something that serves to differentiate.

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discrimination British  

/ dɪˌskrɪmɪˈneɪʃən /

noun

1. unfair treatment of a person, racial group, minority, etc; action based on prejudice

2. subtle appreciation in matters of taste

3. the ability to see fine distinctions and differences

4. electronics the selection of a signal having a particular frequency, amplitude, phase, etc, effected by the elimination of other signals by means of a discriminator

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Other Word Forms

• antidiscrimination adjective
• discriminational adjective
• nondiscrimination noun
• prediscrimination noun
• self-discrimination noun

Etymology

Origin of discrimination

First recorded in 1640–50; from Latin discrīminātiōn-, stem of discrīminātiō “division, separation,” literally “a dividing,” equivalent to discrīmināt(us) “separated” (past participle of discrīmināre “to divide up, separate”; discriminate ) + -ion ( def. )

Related Words

• bigotry
• favoritism
• hatred
• inequity
• injustice
• intolerance
• prejudice
• unfairness