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discrimination

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discrimination

  • /dɪskɹɪmɪˈneɪʃən/ UK
  • /dɪˌskɹɪm.əˈneɪʃən/ Canada, US
  • /dɪskɹɪm.əˈnæɪʃən/ Australia

Rhymes with -eɪʃən

Where it comes from

Learned borrowing from Latin discrīminātiō, discrīminātiōnem, the action noun to discrīminō, discrīmināre (“distinguish”). Equivalent to discriminate + -ion. In English use from the 17th century.

noun discriminations

  1. countable, uncountable Discernment, the act of discriminating, discerning, distinguishing, noting or perceiving differences between things, with the intent to understand rightly and make correct decisions. Have you felt the weight of the considerations which have been presented, in order to show the importance of discrimination on the subject of revealed truth?

    Similar: differentiation

  2. countable, sometimes, uncountable, with "against" Differential treatment of an individual or group to their disadvantage; treatment or consideration based on class or category rather than individual merit; partiality; prejudice; bigotry. sexual or racial discrimination
  3. uncountable The quality of being discriminating; acute discernment, especially in matters of good taste. Near-synonym: tastefulness

    Similar: tastefulness

  4. countable, obsolete That which discriminates; a distinguishing mark, a characteristic. He who has not made the experiment, or who is not accustomed to require rigorous accuracy from himself, will scarcely believe how much a few hours take from certainty of knowledge, and distinctness of imagery; how the succession of objects will be broken, how separate parts will be confused, and how

Thesaurus

Closest in meaning: favouritism, favoritism, discriminatory, distinction, discriminate, distinctness, distinguishing, distinguish, differentiate, differentiation, discernment, differential, discriminating, difference, bias, selectivity

Translations

Every language

noun the act of making a distinction, noting differences between things

Españoldiscriminación, discrimen
한국어구별 gubyeol
日本語区別 kubetsu
中文區別 /区别 qūbié
Portuguêsdiscriminação
Françaisdiscrimination
DeutschDiskriminierung, Unterscheidung
Românădiscriminare, diferențiere
Русскийраспознава́ние raspoznavánije, разграниче́ние razgraničénije
العربيةتَفْرِيق tafrīq

noun distinct treatment of an individual or group to their disadvantage

Españoldiscriminación, discrimen
한국어차별 chabyeol
日本語差別 sabetsu, 冷遇 reigū
中文歧視 /歧视 qíshì
हिन्दीभेदभाव bhedbhāv, विभेदन vibhedan
Portuguêsdiscriminação
Françaisdiscrimination
DeutschDiskriminierung, Schlechterstellung
Italianodiscriminazione
Românădiscriminare
Русскийдискримина́ция diskriminácija
Tiếng Việtphân biệt đối xử, kì thị
العربيةتَمْيِيز tamyīz
עבריתאַפְלָיָה af'layá

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Cite this
MLA

"discrimination." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/discrimination. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026.

APA

discrimination. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/discrimination

Chicago

"discrimination." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/discrimination.

BibTeX
@misc{discrimination_2026,
  title = {discrimination},
  howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://micwyn.com/word/discrimination},
  urldate = {2026-11-06}
}