unfair treatment of a person, racial group, minority, etc; action based on prejudice subtle appreciation in matters of taste the ability to see fine distinctions and differences
WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2025
dis•crim•i•na•tion /dɪˌskrɪməˈneɪʃən/USA pronunciation
n. [uncountable]the ability to make or see differences;
the ability to distinguish or judge among things:fine discrimination in his choice of wine.
WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2025- the act or practice of discriminating:job discrimination.
the ability to distinguish or judge among things:fine discrimination in his choice of wine.
dis•crim•i•na•tion
(di skrim′ə nā′shən),USA pronunciation n.
dis•crim′i•na′tion•al, adj.
- an act or instance of discriminating.
- Sociologytreatment or consideration of, or making a distinction in favor of or against, a person or thing based on the group, class, or category to which that person or thing belongs rather than on individual merit:racial and religious intolerance and discrimination.
- the power of making fine distinctions;
discriminating judgment:She chose the colors with great discrimination. - [Archaic.]something that serves to differentiate.
- Latin discrīminātiōn- (stem of discrīminātiō) a distinguishing. See discriminate, -ion
- 1640–50
- 3.See corresponding entry in Unabridged discernment, taste, acumen, perception.
Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::
'racial discrimination' also found in these entries (note: many are not synonyms or translations):