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 characteristic
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
IEEE Spectrum, 4 June 2025
Perhaps audiences aren't so much bored with superhero movies as becoming more discriminating in their choices.
—Ars Technica, 23 Dec. 2024
Dorany Pineda, Los Angeles Times, 24 Mar. 2026
The lawsuit sought a temporary restraining order preventing the board and Cavin from taking any further action in their cases, as well as an injunction restraining Cavin and the board from discriminating against, or retaliating against, Mejia and Smith.
—Clark Kauffman, Iowa Capital Dispatch, 27 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for discriminating
Adjective
Turning Selectivity Into Strategy A range of more discriminating strategies have been explored, including tweaking the shape and timing of electrical pulses and using multi-contact electrodes to maneuver currents in specific directions.
—IEEE Spectrum, 4 June 2025
Perhaps audiences aren't so much bored with superhero movies as becoming more discriminating in their choices.
—Ars Technica, 23 Dec. 2024
Verb
In the suit, Acuña accused the campus of discriminating against him because of his age and race.
—Dorany Pineda, Los Angeles Times, 24 Mar. 2026
The lawsuit sought a temporary restraining order preventing the board and Cavin from taking any further action in their cases, as well as an injunction restraining Cavin and the board from discriminating against, or retaliating against, Mejia and Smith.
—Clark Kauffman, Iowa Capital Dispatch, 27 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for discriminating
Recent Examples of Synonyms for discriminating
Adjective
-
The law was originally enacted to help undo discriminatory Jim Crow racial segregation and protect the voting rights of Black people.—
Sarah N. Lynch,
CBS News,
4 Apr. 2026
-
But Fultz underscores that the bill was introduced because the previous legislation was deemed unconstitutional and discriminatory by Canadian courts.—
CNN.com Wire Service,
Mercury News,
3 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Some had characteristic ticks etched along their outer edges, while others looked like small sticks cut lengthwise, with a flat and a curved side—forms that their makers crafted deliberately to produce random outcomes.—
Joseph Howlett,
Scientific American,
2 Apr. 2026
-
The show is curated by the artist’s daughters, Aiko Cuneo and Addie Lanier, and will feature many characteristic pieces.—
News Desk,
Artforum,
1 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Anonymity will continue to be Reddit’s differentiating factor.—
Jibin Joseph,
PC Magazine,
26 Mar. 2026
-
Or, at least, differentiating that the sandwiches Wawa and other convenience stores and delis in the area sell are in fact called hoagies.—
Kaitlyn McCormick,
USA Today,
25 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
Dan Sachs, vice president of state and local policy at Meta, wrote in the letter that the legislation is unfair.—
Angela Palermo,
Idaho Statesman,
2 Apr. 2026
-
This may sound wildly unfair, but there’s some good news.—
Julia Daye,
Popular Science,
2 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
For example, they might be classified by the number of rulers, thus distinguishing government by one (as in a monarchy or a tyranny) from government by the few (in an aristocracy or oligarchy) and from government by the many (as in a democracy).—
Encyclopedia Britannica,
Encyclopedia Britannica,
2 Apr. 2026
-
Defenders can have a hard time distinguishing an intruder from a normal administrator in a busy environment, especially when the intruder is deliberately trying to make their actions look like ordinary activity.—
William Akoto,
The Conversation,
2 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Lubeck’s distinctive style—marked by one-of-a-kind antique stones and intricate hand-engraving work—caught Swift’s eye.—
Hannah Jackson,
Vogue,
8 Apr. 2026
-
Back in the 1930s, the founders of the club worked with Louis Alphonse Berckmans, son of the nursery’s late owner, to adorn each of the 18 holes with a distinctive species and since then some 80,000 plants and 350 different varieties have been added.—
Don Riddell,
CNN Money,
8 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Designed to evoke the Golden Age of travel, the ridged shell has a distinct midcentury sensibility and a presence few other cases can match.—
Charley Ward,
Condé Nast Traveler,
5 Apr. 2026
-
Typically speaking, modern wars tend to consist of various distinct phases, the first of which tends to be to blind the enemy.—
Christopher McFadden,
Interesting Engineering,
5 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
As noted earlier, Form 1099-K is the typical reporting form gig workers receive from platforms that handle the collection of payments from customers and transfer the worker’s share to them.—
Annette Nellen,
The Conversation,
6 Apr. 2026
-
So far, the WGA has only disclosed to members that the provisional agreement will span four years rather than the union’s typical three.—
Katie Kilkenny,
HollywoodReporter,
6 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Discriminating.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/discriminating. Accessed 10 Apr. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
