1
as in discriminatory
favoring, applying, or being unequal treatment of different classes of people
accused of discriminating practices in the hiring of employees
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in distinguishing
serving to identify as belonging to an individual or group
a discriminating feature of poison ivy is a compound leaf with three mitten-shaped leaflets
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in differentiating
to understand or point out the difference in
the human eye can discriminate between very slight gradations of color
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of discriminating
Ars Technica, 23 Dec. 2024
Consumers have become more discriminating, and are passing on some higher-price purchases while seeking out cheaper alternatives.
—Zeke Miller, Los Angeles Times, 15 Aug. 2024
Miles Socha, Footwear News, 4 Sep. 2025
Behavioral tests confirmed that the mice that had experienced this axon loss were less adept at detecting and discriminating between smells.
—New Atlas, 18 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for discriminating
Adjective
Perhaps audiences aren't so much bored with superhero movies as becoming more discriminating in their choices.
—Ars Technica, 23 Dec. 2024
Consumers have become more discriminating, and are passing on some higher-price purchases while seeking out cheaper alternatives.
—Zeke Miller, Los Angeles Times, 15 Aug. 2024
Verb
To have somebody with that discriminating eye endorse me was super encouraging.
—Miles Socha, Footwear News, 4 Sep. 2025
Behavioral tests confirmed that the mice that had experienced this axon loss were less adept at detecting and discriminating between smells.
—New Atlas, 18 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for discriminating
Recent Examples of Synonyms for discriminating
Adjective
-
Calderon allegedly told Robinson that reporting discriminatory treatment would harm his career at the department and the director refused to file a formal complaint.—
William Melhado,
Sacbee.com,
24 Sep. 2025
-
The majority, as is typical in emergency or shadow docket decisions, provided no explanation for its order overturning a district court ruling that had blocked ICE’s immigration dragnets in Los Angeles as racially discriminatory.—
Ronald Brownstein,
Mercury News,
23 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
In addition to the cohosts getting into memorable spats over Harris' bid for the presidency, during a pre-2024 election interview on the show in October of last year, Harris responded to one of Hostin's questions that inquired about differentiating herself from President Biden's policies.—
Joey Nolfi,
Entertainment Weekly,
23 Sep. 2025
-
Beyond differentiating between the sounds, the team also confirmed consistent seasonal patterns in the grouper’s spawning activity that are closely linked to lunar cycles.—
Andrew Paul,
Popular Science,
18 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
Specifically, the four customers argued that Hershey's violated Florida Deceptive And Unfair Trade Practices Act, which is designed to protect Floridians from unfair competition, deceptive acts and unethical practices.—
Greta Cross,
USA Today,
26 Sep. 2025
-
The complaint accuses Dignity Health and the two hospitals of violating multiple laws including California’s Emergency Services Law, the Unruh Civil Rights Act, and unfair competition law.—
Nicole Nixon,
Sacbee.com,
26 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
To achieve the characteristic soap-nails effect, the color should be applied in thin layers and have a glossy finish, imitating the transparency and freshness of a wet bar of soap.—
Irene Reyes,
Glamour,
23 Sep. 2025
-
Nishijima brings his characteristic intensity to Kenji, a man whose academic arrogance masks deep insecurity and desperation.—
Naman Ramachandran,
Variety,
22 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
This is not distinguishing Russia.—
Robert Birsel,
MSNBC Newsweek,
24 Sep. 2025
-
Yet distinguishing between truly innovative improvements and low-value extensions has been challenging for regulators and courts.—
Lucy Xiaolu Wang,
The Conversation,
23 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
The red planet owes its distinctive hue to an oxidizing process that rusts iron present in the rocks and dust of Mars.—
Anthony Wood,
Space.com,
24 Sep. 2025
-
The hotel's architecture features the distinctive geometric patterns and organic designs associated with Wright's work.—
Michael Salerno,
AZCentral.com,
24 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
Researchers from The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) have used a massive UK Biobank dataset analysis to identify that fat distribution, not just overall size, maps to distinct changes in brain structure and connectivity.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
28 Sep. 2025
-
The park encompasses 134 miles of that stretch and is divided into 13 distinct sections.—
Evie Carrick,
Travel + Leisure,
27 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
This accelerated pace of stellar birth powers immense outflows of gas and fuels the growth of super star clusters at its core, which contain hundreds of thousands of stars and shine far brighter than typical star clusters.—
Kenna Hughes-Castleberry,
Space.com,
25 Sep. 2025
-
Owens' comments were addressed early in the premiere episode, then the episode unfolded in typical fashion with roses, dates and drama.—
Jalen Williams,
Freep.com,
25 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Discriminating.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/discriminating. Accessed 30 Sep. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share