discriminate
verb
H. G. Armstrong
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Although many methods or motives for discriminating are unfair and undesirable (or even illegal), the verb itself has a neutral history. English speakers borrowed it from the past participle of the Latin verb discriminare (meaning "to distinguish or differentiate"), which, itself, is derived from the verb discernere, meaning "to distinguish between." Discernere, in turn, was formed by combining the prefix dis- (meaning "apart") and cernere ("to sift"). Other descendants of discernere include discern and discernible (as you no doubt guessed), discreet, and indiscretion. In addition, the root cernere gives us concern, certain, decree, and even secret.
Synonyms
Examples of discriminate in a Sentence
Kwame Anthony Appiah, New York Times, 10 Apr. 2024
Since Nichols’s killing, the Justice Department has begun investigating allegations that the Memphis Police Department discriminated against Black people, targeted Black residents in traffic stops and employed excessive use of force.
—Justine McDaniel, Washington Post, 30 Mar. 2024
Because even if the system is not explicitly programmed to be biased, proposed laws such as the Algorithmic Accountability Act will look to enforce punishment on the AI system in place for discriminating against minority groups.
—Jonathan Freger, Forbes, 29 Mar. 2024
Some Democrats argued during debates Tuesday that Republicans were stoking anti-China sentiment, and Rep. Rui Xu, a Kansas City-area Democrat, compared the land ownership bill to decades-past U.S. policies discriminating against Asian Americans or Asian immigrants.
—John Hanna, Quartz, 27 Mar. 2024
While the case was still ongoing in 2011, Garaufis ruled that firefighter exams intentionally discriminated against Black people, according to the Daily News.
—Danielle Wallace, Fox News, 2 Apr. 2024
The complaint says the Minnesota public institution is discriminating against non-Black students, including those who identify as white, Hispanic or Asian, from being considered for the scholarship.
—Anthony Robledo, USA TODAY, 29 Mar. 2024
Women historically have been discriminated against from mainstream opportunities for no reason other than their gender.
—Abiola Salami, Forbes, 28 Mar. 2024
Applicants have filed lawsuits accusing the agency of overstepping its authority, giving conflicting guidance and discriminating against white men in its push for diversity.
—Ashley Southall, New York Times, 17 Mar. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'discriminate.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near discriminate
Cite this Entry
“Discriminate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/discriminate. Accessed 25 Apr. 2024.
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discriminate
verb
Medical Definition
discriminate
verb
J. A. SwetsLegal Definition
discriminate
intransitive verb
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