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Glite Dictionary
🚫 To treat unfairly 🔎 To tell apart 🔍 Able to tell differences
to discriminate

to discriminate

31 4.2
To notice small differences between things
  • verb
  • /dɪsˈkrɪməˌneɪt/
translation icon : distinguir
  • For example, consider a child learning to discriminate between the letters p and b.
  • discriminating ability
  • discriminate between different
  • able to discriminate

The speed of light in a vacuum does not discriminate by frequency.

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Examples

  • For instance, infants easily discriminate a mother's voice compared with unfamiliar adult voices.

    Academic text (2015)

  • An item analysis showed that teachers could use the majority of the items to discriminate skill level.

    Academic text (2015)

  • Justice doesn't discriminate between your friends and your enemies.

    Shadow of Doubt (1998)

  • According to some research, the subconscious mind cannot discriminate between fact and fiction.

    Academic text (1990)

  • In addition, some performers may not be able to discriminate errors or tell if the goal was accomplished.

    Academic text (1991)

  • But at six months, infants can discriminate the monkey faces.

  • Teach ensemble players to discriminate between pitches played in tune and out of tune.

    Academic text (1990)

  • For instance, infants easily discriminate a mother's voice compared with unfamiliar adult voices.

  • Harvard requires all potential recruiters to agree not to discriminate against its students based on sexual orientation.

  • Justice doesn't discriminate between your friends and your enemies.

Synonyms

to separate
vsto discriminate
225 2.3

To tell how two things are different

is simply noticing differences, not arranging or sorting items
to distinguish
vsto discriminate
177 3.1

To notice differences between things or people

is the general act of noticing differences rather than formal identification
to differentiate
vsto discriminate
71 4.4

To show or notice how things are different

is about noticing differences rather than causing them
to discern
vsto discriminate
70 5.8

To notice something that is hard to see or hear

is general noticing of differences rather than difficult sensory detection
to tell apart
vsto discriminate
41 3.0

To notice a difference between two similar things

is about noticing differences generally rather than only between two items
to secern
vsto discriminate
  • Archaic
9.9

To tell similar things apart by noticing small differences

is about noticing differences without implying careful judgement
to contradistinguish
vsto discriminate
  • Formal
9.9

To show how one thing is different by comparing it with another

is general noticing rather than using direct contrast as method

How Distinct

to discriminate
31 4.2
to distinguish
177 3.1
to notice
∞ 1.0
to confuse
142 1.9

Surface Forms

discriminate infinitive
discriminated past
discriminated past participle
discriminating present participle
discriminates third person singular

Morphology

discriminate = dis + crimin + ate

Although the word can be etymologically analysed as dis- + crimin- + -ate, the combining form 'crimin' is not a productive English morpheme and the full meaning 'to distinguish' is not directly derivable by B1 learners from these parts.

Etymology

Discriminate comes from the Latin parts dis- 'apart' and cernere 'to separate'. To discriminate in this sense is to 'take things apart' in your mind so you can see how they differ, which is why it means 'to tell things apart'.