discrimination
Americannoun
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an act or instance of discriminating, or of making a distinction.
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treatment or consideration of, or making a distinction in favor of or against, a person or thing based on the group, class, or category to which that person or thing belongs rather than on individual merit.
racial and religious intolerance and discrimination.
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the power of making fine distinctions; discriminating judgment.
She chose the colors with great discrimination.
- Synonyms:
- perception, acumen, taste, discernment
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Archaic. something that serves to differentiate.
noun
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unfair treatment of a person, racial group, minority, etc; action based on prejudice
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subtle appreciation in matters of taste
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the ability to see fine distinctions and differences
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electronics the selection of a signal having a particular frequency, amplitude, phase, etc, effected by the elimination of other signals by means of a discriminator
Other Word Forms
- antidiscrimination adjective
- discriminational adjective
- nondiscrimination noun
- prediscrimination noun
- self-discrimination noun
Etymology
Origin of discrimination
First recorded in 1640–50; from Latin discrīminātiōn-, stem of discrīminātiō “division, separation,” literally “a dividing,” equivalent to discrīmināt(us) “separated” (past participle of discrīmināre “to divide up, separate”; discriminate ) + -ion ( def. )
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
They will target unfair trade practices such as excess capacity, forced labor, discrimination versus digital tech companies, and subsidies for rice and seafood.
From Barron's
And that’s affecting workers across all ages, not just older individuals who may face the additional struggles of age discrimination in the workplace or hiring process.
From MarketWatch
The ECB wrote to the eight franchises on Sunday reminding them of their responsibilities around discrimination.
From BBC
In last year's report, which was based on data from 2024, CAG sent reports to relevant States of Guernsey committees on discrimination, harassment and being treated differently, homelessness, and private rental deposits.
From BBC
The tournament also remains under the jurisdiction of the independent cricket regulator - established following the 2023 Equity in Cricket report, which found discrimination to be "widespread" within the English game.
From BBC
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
