discriminate
verb
H. G. Armstrong
Did you know?
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
David Garrick, San Diego Union-Tribune, 13 Feb. 2025
This isn’t the first time Ye has loudly and publicly discriminated against Jewish people.
—Hannah Dailey, Billboard, 10 Feb. 2025
The university was at the center of the transgender debate in sports last fall when Brooke Slusser, co-captain of the women’s volleyball team, joined a lawsuit in September accusing the NCAA of discriminating against women by allowing transgender women to compete in women’s sports.
—Christian Babcock, Chicago Tribune, 6 Feb. 2025
And by the way, the federal government is being sued for discriminating against certain employees because of their race.
—NBC News, 2 Feb. 2025
See all Example Sentences for discriminate 
Dictionary Entries Near discriminate
Cite this Entry
“Discriminate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/discriminate. Accessed 18 Feb. 2025.
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discriminate
verb
Medical Definition
discriminate
verb
J. A. SwetsLegal Definition
discriminate
intransitive verb
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