discriminatory
Americanadjective
-
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
-
based on or showing prejudice; biased
-
capable of making fine distinctions
-
(of a statistical test) unbiased
Other Word Forms
- discriminatorily adverb
- nondiscriminatory adjective
- undiscriminatory adjective
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.
Their motive, she claims, was discriminatory bias and a piece of legislation she wrote that law enforcement agencies did not like.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 7, 2026
As it stands, she said milk time could be discriminatory for those with allergies as, without alternatives, some children are excluded.
From BBC • Mar. 20, 2026
County officials have said it will fully cooperate with the attorney general’s investigation, but emphasized that no reviews up to this point “have found any discriminatory or structural bias in the county’s response.”
From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 22, 2026
A tally from Global Trade Alert shows that there were many more discriminatory trade policies—including tariffs, export controls and sanctions—introduced in the five years through 2025 than in the preceding five years.
From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 21, 2026
Laws that said nothing about race operated to discriminate because those charged with enforcement were granted tremendous discretion, and they exercised that discretion in a highly discriminatory manner.
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.
