discriminate
verb
dis·crim·i·nate
| \ di-ˈskri-mə-ˌnāt
\
\
discriminated;
discriminating
Definition of discriminate
1a
: to mark or perceive the distinguishing or peculiar features of
Depth perception may be defined as the ability to appreciate or discriminate the third dimension …— H. G. Armstrong
b
: distinguish, differentiate
discriminate hundreds of colors
2
: to distinguish by discerning or exposing differences : to recognize or identify as separate and distinct
discriminate right from wrong
especially
: to distinguish from another like object
discriminate the individual voices in the choir
1a
: to make a distinction
discriminate among historical sources discriminates between literary fiction and popular fiction
b
: to use good judgment
2
: to make a difference in treatment or favor on a basis other than individual merit
discriminate in favor of your friends discriminate against a certain nationality
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Synonyms & Antonyms for discriminate
Synonyms
difference, differentiate, discern, distinguish, secern, separate
Antonyms
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Examples of discriminate in a Sentence
The school is not allowed to discriminate.
the human eye can discriminate between very slight gradations of color
Recent Examples on the Web
The same week of the raids, a damning report was published detailing how the same Koch Foods was discriminating against black farmers and ruining their livelihoods in service of gaining a larger foothold in the poultry market. — Carmen Rojas, Quartz at Work, "The problem with making “white” synonymous with “America’s working class”," 2 Sep. 2019 Both argue that the video site discriminates against them, but YouTube believes that's not the whole picture. — Wired, "Capitalism Burns the Amazon, Lawsuits Burn YouTube, and More News," 28 Aug. 2019 For says Medicare for All would ban providers from discriminating against patients and remove the profit motive from the healthcare system. — Nina Bahadur, SELF, "We Asked All 2020 Presidential Candidates Their Plans to Address the Black Maternal Mortality Crisis," 30 July 2019 As our politics have fractured increasingly around race, there seems to be more and more confusion about who’s discriminating against whom. — Keith Payne, Scientific American, "The Truth about Anti-White Discrimination," 18 July 2019 On Wednesday, California became the first state to pass a law banning employers and schools from discriminating against individuals based on their hairstyle. — Sarah Sarder, Dallas News, "Teen whose hair cost him job at Six Flags Over Texas turns heads at modeling agency," 6 July 2019 In recent decades, black farmers accused the USDA of discriminating against them by denying them loans or forcing them to wait longer, resulting in a class-action lawsuit that settled for more than $1 billion. — Isaac Arnsdorf, ProPublica, "How a Top Chicken Company Cut Off Black Farmers, One by One," 26 June 2019 Some critics say the program discriminates against men. — Tania Rabesandratana, Science | AAAS, "Men need not apply: University set to open jobs just to women," 18 June 2019 An audit of several dozen landlords across the city found that landlords applied conviction policies inconsistently across races more than half the time, discriminating more harshly against black renters than non-black renters. — Jake Bittle, Curbed, "The fight for fair-chance housing ordinances," 12 June 2019These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'discriminate.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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More Definitions for discriminate
discriminate
verb
English Language Learners Definition of discriminate
: to unfairly treat a person or group of people differently from other people or groups
somewhat formal
: to notice and understand that one thing is different from another thing : to recognize a difference between things
See the full definition for discriminate in the English Language Learners Dictionary
discriminate
verb
dis·crim·i·nate
| \ di-ˈskri-mə-ˌnāt
\
\
discriminated;
discriminating
Kids Definition of discriminate
1
: to unfairly treat a person or group differently from other people or groups
It is against the law to discriminate on the basis of race.
2
: to be able to tell the difference between things
He can discriminate among the birds by their calls.
discriminate
verb
dis·crim·i·nate
| \ dis-ˈkrim-ə-ˌnāt
\
\
discriminated;
discriminating
Medical Definition of discriminate
: to respond selectively to (a stimulus)
: to respond selectively
the capacity of organisms to discriminate— J. A. Swets