discriminate

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verb dis·crim·i·nate \ dis-ˈkri-mə-ˌnāt \

Definition of discriminate

discriminated; discriminating

transitive verb

1 a :to mark or perceive the distinguishing or peculiar features of

Depth perception may be defined as the ability to appreciate or discriminate the third dimension …
—H. G. Armstrong

b :distinguish, differentiate

discriminate hundreds of colors

2 :to distinguish by discerning or exposing differences :to recognize or identify as separate and distinct

discriminate right from wrong

; especially :to distinguish from another like object

discriminate the individual voices in the choir

intransitive verb

1 a :to make a distinction

discriminate among historical sources

discriminates between literary fiction and popular fiction

b :to use good judgment

2 :to make a difference in treatment or favor on a basis other than individual merit

discriminate in favor of your friends

discriminate against a certain nationality

See discriminate defined for English-language learners

See discriminate defined for kids

discriminate was our Word of the Day on 11/04/2011. Hear the podcast!

Examples of discriminate in a Sentence

The school is not allowed to discriminate.
the human eye can discriminate between very slight gradations of color

Recent Examples of discriminate from the Web

The Saudis are much less discriminating about these things.

— michael brendan dougherty, National Review, "Trump’s Yemen Policy Is Immoral and Counterproductive," 13 July 2017
MLB umpire Angel Hernandez has filed a lawsuit against the league and commissioner Rob Manfred alleging the league discriminates against minority umpires, according to the Cincinnati Enquirer.

— dan gartland, SI.com, "MLB umpire Angel Hernandez sues league for racial discrimination," 4 July 2017
The lawsuit alleges that the park expressly discriminated against Snelling because of his creationist beliefs and by doing so violated Snelling's constitutional rights and the Religious Freedom Restoration Act.

— amanda reilly, Science | AAAS, "Update: Creationist geologist wins permit to collect rocks in Grand Canyon after lawsuit," 30 June 2017
In 2014, then-President Obama signed an executive order that prevented the federal government from contracting with companies that discriminate against employees because of their sexuality or gender identity.

— luke darby, GQ, "The Trump Administration Has Been a Disaster for LGBT Americans," 30 June 2017
That suggests that the real world is just as bad at discriminating quality as the simulated network.

— cathleen o'grady, Ars Technica, "Information overload makes social media a swamp of fake news," 29 June 2017
Mental illness doesn't discriminate by class, gender or race, and their stories deserve to be explored as well.

— lily herman, Teen Vogue, "6 Eating Disorder Survivors React to Netflix's "To The Bone" Trailer," 28 June 2017
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the 4th Circuit in Richmond agreed with U.S. District Judge Theodore D. Chuang in Maryland, who sided with opponents in finding that the ban violates the Constitution by intentionally discriminating against Muslims.

— robert barnes, Washington Post, "Supreme Court allows limited version of Trump’s travel ban to take effect and will consider case in fall," 26 June 2017
To members and allies of the LGBT college community, this sounded like a signal that under DeVos, the Department of Education may decline to use its ability to withhold federal funding from private colleges that discriminate against LGBT students.

— ramsey touchberry, USA TODAY College, "LGBT advocates at private colleges vow to stand strong after DeVos wavers on protections," 20 June 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'discriminate.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Did You Know?

Although many methods or motives for discriminating are unfair and undesirable (or even illegal), the verb itself has a neutral history. English speakers borrowed it from the past participle of the Latin verb discriminare, itself from the verb discernere, meaning "to distinguish between." "Discernere," in turn, was formed by combining the prefix dis- and cernere ("to sift"). Other descendants of "discernere" include "discern" and "discernible" (as you no doubt guessed), "discreet," and "indiscretion." In addition, the root "cernere" gives us "concern," "certain," "decree," and even "secret."

Origin and Etymology of discriminate

Latin discriminatus, past participle of discriminare, from discrimin-, discrimen distinction, from discernere to distinguish between — more at discern

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1615

See Words from the same year

discriminate Synonyms

Synonyms

difference, differentiate, discern, distinguish, secern, separate

Antonyms

confuse, mistake, mix (up)

Related Words

contradistinguish; comprehend, grasp, know, understand; divide, part, sever; demarcate, mark (off), set off

Near Antonyms

confound, lump (together), mingle

DISCRIMINATE Defined for English Language Learners

discriminate

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verb

Definition of discriminate for English Language Learners

: to unfairly treat a person or group of people differently from other people or groups
: to notice and understand that one thing is different from another thing : to recognize a difference between things

DISCRIMINATE Defined for Kids

discriminate

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verb dis·crim·i·nate \ di-ˈskri-mə-ˌnāt \

Definition of discriminate for Students

discriminated; discriminating

1 :to unfairly treat a person or group differently from other people or groups

It is against the law to discriminate on the basis of race.

2 :to be able to tell the difference between things

He can discriminate among the birds by their calls.

Medical Dictionary

discriminate

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verb dis·crim·i·nate \ dis-ˈkrim-ə-ˌnāt \

medical Definition of discriminate

discriminated; discriminating

transitive verb

:to respond selectively to (a stimulus)

intransitive verb

:to respond selectively

the capacity of organisms to discriminate
—J. A. Swets

Law Dictionary

discriminate

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intransitive verb dis·crim·i·nate \ dis-ˈkri-mə-ˌnāt \

legal Definition of discriminate

discriminated; discriminating

:to make a difference in treatment or favor on a basis other than individual merit; especially :to make a difference in treatment on a basis prohibited by law (as national origin, race, sex, religion, age, or disability) — see also bona fide occupational qualification, equal protection, reverse discrimination, suspect class, Civil Rights Act of 1964

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