discriminate

English

Etymology

From Latin discriminatus, past participle of discriminare (“to divide, separate, distinguish”), from discrimen (“a space between, division, separation, distinction”), from discerno (“to divide, separate, distinguish, discern”); see discern, discreet, discrete. Compare crime.

Pronunciation

(verb)

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /dɪˈskɹɪm.ɪ.neɪt/

  • Audio (Southern England)

    (file)

• (General American) IPA^(key): /dɪˈskɹɪm.əˌneɪt/
• (General Australian) IPA^(key): /dɪˈskɹɪm.əˌnæɪt/

(adjective)

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /dɪˈskɹɪm.ɪ.nət/

  • Audio (Southern England)

    (file)

Verb

discriminate (third-person singular simple present discriminates, present participle discriminating, simple past and past participle discriminated)

1. (intransitive) To make distinctions.

   Since he was color blind he was unable to discriminate between the blue and green bottles.

2. To treat or affect differently, depending on differences in traits.

   Low self-esteem can affect both rich and poor people: it doesn't discriminate.

   1. (intransitive, construed with against) To make decisions based on prejudice.

      The law prohibits discriminating against people based on their skin color.

3. (transitive) To set apart as being different; to mark as different; to separate from another by discerning differences; to distinguish.
   • 1670-7, Isaac Barrow, “Sermon XX: Against rash Censuring and Judging”, in The Theological Works, volume 1, published 1818, page 448:

     To discriminate the goats from the sheep.

   • 1782–1785, William Cowper, “(please specify the page)”, in The Task, a Poem, , London: J Johnson;  , →OCLC:

     Still stranger much, that when at length mankind
     Had reach'd the sinewy firmness of their youth,
     And could discriminate and argue well
     On subjects more mysterious

Usage notes

• Due to the strong pejorative connotations of sense of “decide based on prejudice”, care should be taken in using the term in the sense “distinguish, make distinctions”, and this sense is primarily used in formal discourse; synonyms are generally used instead. On the other hand, the adjectives discriminate and indiscriminate are solely used to refer to being distinguished or marked by being different.

Synonyms

• (make distinctions): distinguish, differentiate; see also Thesaurus:tell apart
• (make decisions based on prejudice): disfavor

Antonyms

• (antonym(s) of “make decisions based on prejudice”): favor

Derived terms

Related terms

• price discriminate

Translations

Adjective

discriminate (comparative more discriminate, superlative most discriminate)

1. Having the difference marked; distinguished by certain tokens.
   • 1631, Francis [Bacon], “IX. Century.”, in Sylua Syluarum: Or A Naturall Historie. In Ten Centuries. , 3rd edition, London: William Rawley; rinted by J H for William Lee , →OCLC:

     Nevertheless it is certain, that oisters, and cockles, and mussels, which move not, have no discriminate sex

Translations

Further reading

• “discriminate”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.
• “discriminate”, in The Century Dictionary , New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911, →OCLC.

Italian

Etymology 1

Verb

discriminate

1. inflection of discriminare:
   1. second-person plural present indicative
   2. second-person plural imperative

Etymology 2

Participle

discriminate f pl

1. feminine plural of discriminato

Anagrams

• dimenticarsi

Latin

Verb

discrīmināte

1. second-person plural present active imperative of discrīminō

Spanish

Verb

discriminate

1. second-person singular voseo imperative of discriminar combined with te