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.
Examples of discriminate in a Sentence
Arkansas Online, 30 May 2025
Ukraine must also grant equal rights to Russian speakers, who the Kremlin says are being discriminated against by Kyiv’s attempts to promote Ukrainian as the state language.
—Fred Weir, Christian Science Monitor, 30 May 2025
For the first time in Minneapolis, employers are now prohibited from discriminating against job applicants or employees based on height or weight.
—Alonzo Martinez, Forbes.com, 30 May 2025
Ramaphosa’s government has been discriminating against white landowners.
—Paul Bedard, The Washington Examiner, 24 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for discriminate
Cite this Entry
“Discriminate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/discriminate. Accessed 5 Jun. 2025.
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discriminate
verb
Medical Definition
discriminate
verb
J. A. SwetsLegal Definition
discriminate
intransitive verb
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