WordLens

discriminate

1 of 2verb
/dɪs.ˈkrɪ.mi.ˌneɪt/
Forms:discriminates,discriminating,discriminated,discriminated
1

to unfairly treat a person or group of people based on their sex, race, etc.

  • The company was accused of discriminating against women in its hiring practices.
  • It's illegal to discriminate against individuals based on their sexual orientation.
  • Discriminating against someone because of their race is a form of racism.
  • The law prohibits businesses from discriminating against customers based on their disability.
  • The school was criticized for discriminating against students of certain religious backgrounds.
2

to notice or establish a difference in or between two or more things

transitive
  • Good readers quickly learn to discriminate fiction from factual writing.
  • Advanced sensors help the robot discriminate obstacles from open pathways.
  • Botanists discriminate plant species by observing leaf structure and flower color.
  • Artists are trained to discriminate colors that may look the same to the untrained eye.
  • A well-trained ear can discriminate even the faintest musical notes.
Synonyms:
3

to identify or perceive differences between two or more things, people, or ideas

  • He can discriminate between similar shades of blue with ease.
  • The software is designed to discriminate between spam and genuine messages.
  • It’s essential to discriminate between fact and opinion in research.
  • Her refined palate can discriminate the flavors in complex dishes.
  • To succeed, one must discriminate between useful information and noise.