discriminate
discriminate Lexical Profile
discriminate Game Scores & Validity
• verb
To make an unjust or prejudicial distinction in the treatment of different categories of people, especially on the grounds of race, sex, age, or disability.
"Federal employment laws strictly forbid companies to discriminate against job applicants based on their age or background."
To recognize a distinction or perceive the subtle differences between things.
"Trained sommeliers can easily discriminate between wines produced in neighboring valleys."
• adjective
Characterized by careful distinction, selectivity, or the ability to recognize fine differences.
"The committee made a discriminate selection of manuscripts for the special archival exhibition."
Word Nuance & Usage
As a verb, the preposition that follows determines the meaning: 'discriminate against' carries a strong negative connotation of unfair bias, whereas 'discriminate between' (or 'from') is a neutral or positive analytical term meaning to recognize subtle differences. Note that as an adjective, the base form 'discriminate' is pronounced with a short '-it' ending (/dɪˈskrɪmɪnət/), though 'discriminating' is much more common in modern usage for describing refined taste.
• Rhymes for discriminate
• Nearby Words
Word Origin & Etymology
Borrowed in the early 17th century from the Latin 'discriminatus', the past participle of 'discriminare' ('to divide or separate'), derived from 'discrimen' ('distinction or interval') and the verb 'discernere' ('to separate or sift').