discriminate
gb/dɪskɹˈɪmənˌeɪt/ us/dɪskɹˈɪmənˌeɪt/
B2
English
~ 5900
Senses
0 senses
Verb
B2
action
1
treat people unfairly as a group
to treat someone worse than others because of their race, sex, age, religion, or similar reason
Usage pattern:
to discriminate against [someone/some group]
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes use 'discriminate' without 'against' when talking about unfair treatment, e.g. *'The company discriminates women.'* The natural pattern is *'discriminate against women.'* Another mistake is thinking 'discriminate' is always negative; in other contexts it can be neutral and mean 'to distinguish.'
Synonyms
victimize (stresses making someone suffer unfairly, often as a single person rather than a whole group.)
|
oppress (suggests long-term, severe, and often violent or political discrimination against a group.)
|
segregate (focuses on forcing groups to live, work, or study separately as a form of discrimination.)
Antonyms
include (emphasizes allowing people into groups, services, or opportunities instead of shutting them out.)
|
respect (focuses on treating people with equal dignity rather than unfairly or with prejudice.)
Collocations
discriminate against women
|discriminate against minorities
|discriminate on the basis of race
|unlawfully discriminate
|discriminate in employment
Themes
society
|law
|workplace
|relationships
Examples
- The company was fined after it was found to discriminate against older workers in its hiring process.
- It is illegal to discriminate against someone on the grounds of their race or religion.
- Some landlords still discriminate against tenants with children, even though the law forbids it.
- She felt the school had discriminated against her because of her disability.
Learner examples
- The law says you cannot discriminate against people with disabilities.
- They were angry because the club discriminated against women.
- The boss does not discriminate against foreign workers.
- We must not discriminate against someone because of their skin color.
unknown
formal
C1
action
2
see or show differences clearly
to see or show how two or more things are different, especially in a careful or exact way
Usage pattern:
to discriminate between [A] and [B]
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes avoid this neutral sense because they think 'discriminate' is always negative. In sentences like 'discriminate between good and bad results', the verb is neutral and similar to 'distinguish'. Also, do not say *'discriminate two things'*; use 'discriminate between two things'.
Synonyms
distinguish (the most common everyday verb for seeing or showing a difference.)
|
differentiate (a slightly more technical or formal word, often used in academic or professional contexts.)
|
discern (emphasizes noticing small or subtle differences, often with some effort or skill.)
Antonyms
confuse (suggests failing to see the difference and mixing things up in your mind.)
|
equate (means treating different things as if they were the same.)
Collocations
discriminate between right and wrong
|discriminate between different sounds
|hard to discriminate between
|discriminate clearly
|finely discriminate
Themes
thinking
|education
|communication
Examples
- It can be difficult to discriminate between genuine and fake reviews online.
- At first, I could not discriminate between the two twin brothers' voices.
- The new test is designed to discriminate accurately between mild and severe cases.
- Children need to learn to discriminate between reliable and unreliable information on the internet.
Learner examples
- The machine can discriminate between different types of metal.
- Some people cannot discriminate between red and green.
- The teacher asked students to discriminate between facts and opinions.
- It is not always easy to discriminate between a cold and the flu.
adjective
formal
C2
property
3
selective, affecting only specific targets
describing something that is selective and only affects or chooses certain people or things, not all of them
Usage pattern:
a discriminate [action/policy/measure]
Common mistake:
Learners often confuse the adjective 'discriminate' with 'discriminating'. 'Discriminate' is usually used in formal contexts to mean 'selective' or 'targeted' (a discriminate attack), while 'discriminating' more often means 'having good taste or judgment' (a discriminating reader).
Synonyms
selective (very close in meaning; common in general use for things that carefully choose or affect only some targets.)
|
targeted (emphasizes that an action is aimed at specific people or things.)
Antonyms
indiscriminate (direct opposite; describes actions that do not make distinctions and may affect many people or things randomly.)
|
blanket (used for actions or rules that apply to everyone or everything without distinction.)
Collocations
discriminate attack
|discriminate use of force
|discriminate policy
|discriminate sanctions
|highly discriminate test
Themes
law
|politics
|core_vocabulary
Examples
- They called for discriminate use of force that would avoid civilian casualties.
- The sanctions are designed to be discriminate, targeting only senior officials.
- A more discriminate approach is needed, focusing on high-risk groups rather than the whole population.
- The new screening tool offers a highly discriminate measure of language ability.
Learner examples
- The army said it would use discriminate force to protect civilians.
- We need a more discriminate plan that helps the people who really need it.
- This test is very discriminate and can show small differences in skill.
- The government prefers a discriminate policy instead of a total ban.
Grammar
Dictionary form
discriminate
IPA
GB/dɪskɹˈɪmənˌeɪt/
US/dɪskɹˈɪmənˌeɪt/
Syllables & stress
dis - crim - in - ate (4 syllables)
Stress on 2nd syllable (crim)
Word forms
Adjective
- Base: discriminate
Verb
- Base: discriminate
- 3rd Person Singular: discriminates
- Present Participle: discriminating
- Past: discriminated
Word family
Forms
discriminates
verb
discriminating
verb
discriminated
verb
Core family
discrimination
noun B2
discriminatory
adjective B2
Negative and opposite forms
indiscriminate
adjective
indiscriminately
adverb
Advanced or less common
discriminative
adjective C1
Expressions
discriminate against
1/dɪskɹˈɪmənˌeɪt əɡˈɛnst/
phrasal verb
treat someone unfairly because of group
to treat a person or group worse than others because of race, sex, age, or another reason
Examples
- The new policy may unintentionally discriminate against part-time workers.
- It is against the law to discriminate against people because of their religion.
- Some employers still discriminate against applicants with criminal records.
discriminate between
1/dɪskɹˈɪmənˌeɪt bɪtwˈin/
fixed phrase
formal
see the difference between things
to see clearly how two or more things are different
Examples
- The test cannot reliably discriminate between viral and bacterial infections.
- Good managers must discriminate between minor problems and serious risks.
- The software is able to discriminate between spam and genuine emails.
discriminate in favor of
1/dɪskɹˈɪmənˌeɪt ˈɪn fˈeɪvɚ əv/
phrasal verb
formal
give special advantage to a group
to give better treatment or more help to one group than to others
Examples
- The scholarship program is designed to discriminate in favor of students from low-income families.
- Some people argue that these policies unfairly discriminate in favor of certain groups.
- The tax rules appear to discriminate in favor of large corporations.
positively discriminate
1/pˈɑzɪtɪvli dɪskɹˈɪmənˌeɪt/
fixed phrase
formal
give extra help to a disadvantaged group
especially in British English, to give better treatment to groups who were treated badly in the past, to make things more equal
Examples
- The policy aims to positively discriminate in favor of women in senior roles.
- Some critics claim that to positively discriminate is simply another form of unfair treatment.
- The university decided to positively discriminate to increase the number of students from poorer backgrounds.