Comprehensive
Dictionary Suite
Help
Help
Help
 
     
Lookup History
discriminate

dis·crim·i·nate

discriminate

 
 
parts of speech:
intransitive verb, transitive verb, adjective
features:
Word Combinations (verb), Word History
part of speech: intransitive verb
pronunciation: dih skrI mih neIt
inflections: discriminates, discriminating, discriminated
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
 
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
Word CombinationsSubscriber feature About this feature
 
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.)
Word History
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.