discriminating

adjective

dis·​crim·​i·​nat·​ing di-ˈskri-mə-ˌnā-tiŋ 

1

: making a distinction : distinguishing

a discriminating mark

2

: marked by discrimination:

a

: discerning, judicious

discriminating buyers

b

: discriminatory

accused of discriminating practices

discriminatingly

di-ˈskri-mə-ˌnā-tiŋ-lē 

adverb

Synonyms of discriminating

• discriminatory
• unfair

Examples of discriminating in a Sentence

accused of discriminating practices in the hiring of employees

a discriminating feature of poison ivy is a compound leaf with three mitten-shaped leaflets

Recent Examples on the Web

Perhaps audiences aren't so much bored with superhero movies as becoming more discriminating in their choices. — Ars Technica, 23 Dec. 2024

While the monarch caterpillar will only eat milkweed, the gulf fritillary caterpillars are slightly less discriminating. — Joan Morris, Mercury News, 15 Dec. 2025

Nicolas described a more discriminating, curatorial approach to its distribution network, and its product range, which will probably shrink in terms of stock keeping units. — Miles Socha, Footwear News, 3 Sep. 2019

Special effects were progressing with varying results, but intelligent storytelling was leading the charge as viewers became more discriminating. — Jeff Spry, Space.com, 24 Aug. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1642, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for discriminating

• accelerating
• accentuating
• accommodating
• accumulating
• adjudicating
• administrating
• affiliating
• agglutinating
• alienating
• alleviating
• amalgamating
• ameliorating

Kids Definition

discriminating

adjective

dis·​crim·​i·​nat·​ing

dis-ˈkrim-ə-ˌnāt-iŋ

1

: showing careful judgment : discerning

a discriminating taste

2

: discriminatory

discriminatingly adverb