DISCRIMINATORY Synonyms: 28 Similar and Opposite Words

discriminatory

adjective

di-ˈskri-mə-nə-ˌtȯr-ē

Definition of discriminatory

as in unfair

favoring, applying, or being unequal treatment of different classes of people a company that was fined for its discriminatory practices in the hiring of women

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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 discriminatory The latest round of global tariffs was imposed under Section 301 of the Trade Act of 1974, which is meant to combat unfair or discriminatory economic practices by other nations. — Reuters, USA Today, 3 Aug. 2026 Section 338 was designed to deter foreign retaliation by allowing the President to increase tariffs against a country that had discriminatory tariffs or trade restrictions on American goods. — Caleb Petitt, Fortune, 2 Aug. 2026 Experts warn this could embolden discriminatory practices and sacrifice innovation. — Janice Gassam Asare, Forbes.com, 1 Aug. 2026 On Friday, a court in Amsterdam convicted a man of using discriminatory language at a Pride event in the city earlier in the week. — ABC News, 1 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for discriminatory

Recent Examples of Synonyms for discriminatory

Adjective

The current administration filed its latest tariffs under Section 301 of the Trade Act of 1974, which states the president can enact levies against other nations in response to their unfair trade practices, The New York Times reported.

— Nicole Hoey, Robb Report, 31 July 2026
This week wasn’t a total loss for SerpApi and Perplexity AI, which did manage to get Reddit’s unjust enrichment and unfair competition claims tossed, since they were both preempted by the Copyright Act.

— Ashley Belanger, ArsTechnica, 31 July 2026

Definition of unfair

Adjective

This unjust decision must be overturned by the Supreme Court in its entirety.

— Jack Birle, The Washington Examiner, 7 Aug. 2026
Recommendations from the Russell City Reparative Justice Project were used as a framework to establish a joint redress fund for former residents and their descendants, one that could finally compensate them for the county’s unjust policies.

— Chase Hunter, Mercury News, 7 Aug. 2026

Definition of unjust

Adjective

Noting the use of generative and discriminative AI pairs, Rus also compares a generative process - writing a book - to the traditional human way that this is done.

— John Werner, Forbes, 11 Oct. 2024
In 2019, the Chinese government issued a directive banning a wide range of discriminative measures against women in the hiring process, including asking women about their marital and childbearing status.

— Jessie Yeung and Nectar Gan, CNN, 5 June 2021

Definition of discriminative

Browse Nearby Words

discriminative

discriminatory

discursive

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“Discriminatory.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/discriminatory. Accessed 9 Aug. 2026.

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Synonyms of discriminatory

adjective

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