dis·crim·i·nate
discriminate
- parts of speech:
- intransitive verb, transitive verb, adjective
- features:
- Word History
| part of speech: |
intransitive verb |
| pronunciation: |
dih
skrI
mih
neIt
|
| inflections: |
discriminated, discriminates, discriminating |
| definition 1: |
to judge or act toward someone on a categorical rather than individual basis (usu. fol. by against).
Some employers discriminate against older applicants.
- similar words:
- disdain, disfranchise, prejudge
|
| definition 2: |
to make accurate distinctions.
Some people cannot discriminate between butter and margarine.- synonyms:
- differentiate, distinguish
- similar words:
- discern
|
| related words: |
refine |
|
|
| part of speech: |
transitive verb |
| definition: |
to perceive differences or distinctions between.
He could not discriminate the styles of the two poets.- synonyms:
- differentiate, discern, distinguish
- antonyms:
- confound
- similar words:
- contrast, divide, separate
|
| related words: |
distinguish, identify, pick out, tell |
|
|
| part of speech: |
adjective |
| pronunciation: |
dih
skrIm
niht
|
| definition: |
marked by or making fine distinctions.
This was a discriminate decision.Our products appeal to people with discriminate taste.- synonyms:
- discerning
- antonyms:
- indiscriminate, undiscriminating
- similar words:
- perceptive
|
| derivations: |
discriminated (adj.), discriminately (adv.), discriminator (n.) |
Discriminate comes from a Latin word that means "to divide, separate, or distinquish." It was first used for the separation of people of different colors or races in the mid-1800s.