discrimination

discrimination — noun

1. the practice of giving worse treatment to people because they belong to a partic

1.nounB1
Definition

the practice of giving worse treatment to people because they belong to a particular group defined by a personal attribute such as ethnicity, sex, years of age, faith, or sexual identity, instead of judging them as individuals

Example

Sumin filed a complaint after she was passed over for promotion because of her gender.

discrimination against — gender as the basis

The new law makes it illegal to practise discrimination based on a person's sexual orientation.

discrimination based on + protected characteristic

Common collocations
  • racial discrimination
  • sex discrimination
  • age discrimination
  • gender discrimination
  • disability discrimination
  • discrimination against
  • discrimination in favour of
  • face discrimination
  • experience discrimination
  • prohibit discrimination
  • ban discrimination
  • fight discrimination
  • discrimination lawsuit
Synonyms
  • prejudice

    focuses on the prejudging attitude or bias rather than the act of treating unfairly

  • bias

    can describe a more subtle or unconscious inclination, not necessarily resulting in action

  • inequality

    broader term covering any unfair difference in treatment or opportunity, not always intentional

Antonyms
  • fairness

    the quality of treating people equally regardless of personal characteristics

  • equality

    the state of being equal in status, rights, and opportunities

Grammar Patterns

discrimination + against + group

discrimination + based on + characteristic

discrimination + in favour of + group

Usage Note

This sense carries serious social and legal weight. In many countries, discrimination on certain grounds is prohibited by law. When writing or speaking, specify the basis (racial, gender, age, etc.) to make the meaning clear and to avoid sweeping generalisations. Common legal compounds include 'racial discrimination', 'sex discrimination', 'age discrimination', and 'disability discrimination'.

Common Mistakes

The company has a policy against discriminate.
The company has a policy against discrimination.
'discrimination' is a noun; 'discriminate' is the verb form.
She experienced discrimination only based on her age.
She experienced discrimination based on her age.
'only' before 'based on' creates an unnatural word order in this context.

2. the ability to notice, recognise, or tell apart the differences between two or m

2.nounB2
Definition

the ability to notice, recognise, or tell apart the differences between two or more things, people, or stimuli

Example

Babies develop the ability for visual discrimination within the first few months of life.

visual discrimination — perception of differences by sight

The wine taster's fine discrimination between two similar vintages impressed the judges.

fine discrimination between + similar items

Common collocations
  • colour discrimination
  • visual discrimination
  • pattern discrimination
  • auditory discrimination
  • fine discrimination
  • discrimination between
Synonyms
  • differentiation

    more formal and technical; often used in biology and statistics

  • distinction

    emphasises the recognised difference itself rather than the ability to see it

Grammar Patterns

discrimination + between + plural noun

visual discrimination

pattern discrimination

Usage Note

Often used with the preposition 'between' to specify the items being compared. This sense is neutral and technical — it carries none of the social or legal weight of sense 1. Common in psychology, biology, and design contexts.

Common Mistakes

She has a good discrimination between colors.
She has good colour discrimination.' or 'She can tell colors apart well.
'discrimination' in this sense is uncountable and sounds more natural with a modifier before it ('colour discrimination', 'pattern discrimination').

3. a refined capacity for recognising excellence, appropriateness, or high quality;

3.nounC1
Definition

a refined capacity for recognising excellence, appropriateness, or high quality; good taste or discernment, especially in art, literature, design, or similar fields

Example

Liam showed great discrimination when selecting paintings for the gallery's main exhibition.

great discrimination — positive judgment of quality

A curator must have the discrimination to tell a genuine antique from a clever copy.

discrimination to + infinitive — ability to judge

Common collocations
  • great discrimination
  • fine discrimination
  • artistic discrimination
  • cultural discrimination
  • aesthetic discrimination
  • discrimination in
Synonyms
  • discernment

    more formal and spiritual in tone; often tied to moral or aesthetic insight

  • taste

    everyday word for personal preference and quality judgment, less analytical than 'discrimination'

Antonyms
  • indiscrimination

    lack of selectivity or judgment; much rarer than 'discrimination'

Grammar Patterns

great/fine/artistic discrimination

discrimination + in + field

discrimination + to + infinitive

Usage Note

This sense implies a positive quality — having well-developed taste or judgment. It is very commonly paired with modifiers such as 'great', 'fine', 'artistic', 'cultural', or 'aesthetic'. Without such a modifier, readers may default to the 'unfair treatment' sense (sense 1), so the context must be clear.

Common Mistakes

She showed discrimination when buying clothes.
She showed great discrimination in choosing clothes.
Without a modifier like 'great' or 'fine', this sentence would be read as sense 1 (unfair treatment), which would be confusing and inappropriate.
His discrimination of wines is excellent.
His discrimination in wines is excellent.
Use 'in' rather than 'of' when specifying the field of judgment.

Word family

  • discriminate
    verbB1
  • discriminatory
    adjectiveB2
  • discriminating
    adjectiveC1
  • indiscriminate
    adjectiveB2
  • indiscriminately
    adverbB2
  • undiscriminating
    adjectiveC1

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

All three words describe unfair treatment linked to personal characteristics, but they differ in focus. 'Discrimination' (sense 1) names the outward act or practice of treating a group differently — it is behaviour you can observe, challenge, or prohibit by law. 'Prejudice' points inward to the attitude or preconceived opinion that often drives discrimination; a person can hold prejudice without acting on it. 'Bias' is the broadest — it can be conscious or unconscious, individual or systemic, and does not always imply hostility (e.g., confirmation bias). In legal contexts, 'discrimination' is the actionable term: a company may be sued for discrimination, not for prejudice. In everyday conversation, 'bias' is milder and more personal ('my own bias toward local produce'), while 'discrimination' carries the gravity of real-world harm.

prejudice ↗bias ↗discrimination ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

Phrases

  • racial discrimination
  • sex discrimination
  • age discrimination
  • gender discrimination
  • disability discrimination
  • discrimination against
  • discrimination in favour of
  • without discrimination

Prepositions

Etymology

LatinFrenchEnglish

The word 'discrimination' comes from Latin 'discriminare', meaning 'to divide, separate, distinguish', which itself comes from 'discrimen' ('distinction, difference'). The original English sense in the 1600s was simply the act of noticing differences (today's sense 2). By the mid-1800s it had developed a positive meaning of refined judgment (sense 3). The modern sense of 'unfair treatment' (sense 1) emerged in the late 19th century during social reform movements and became dominant in the 20th century through civil rights legislation.