discrimination
C1Formal, Academic, Legal, Sociopolitical
Definition
Meaning
The unjust or prejudicial treatment of different categories of people, especially on the grounds of race, age, sex, or disability.
1. Recognition and understanding of the difference between one thing and another. 2. The ability to judge what is of high quality; good taste or judgment.
Linguistics
Semantic Notes
The word has two primary, distinct meanings: the negative social act (dominant in modern usage) and the positive cognitive ability to discern differences. Context is crucial for disambiguation.
Dialectal Variation
British vs American Usage
Differences
No significant difference in meaning or usage. Spelling is consistent.
Connotations
Identical strong negative connotations for the social justice meaning. The 'good judgment' meaning is more common in formal or literary contexts in both varieties.
Frequency
Equally high frequency in sociopolitical, legal, and academic discourse in both regions.
Vocabulary
Collocations
Grammar
Valency Patterns
discrimination against [someone/something]discrimination on the grounds/basis of [characteristic]discrimination in [area, e.g., hiring, housing]discrimination between [A] and [B] (for the 'discernment' meaning)Vocabulary
Synonyms
Strong
Neutral
Weak
Vocabulary
Antonyms
Phrases
Idioms & Phrases
- “A discrimination suit”
- “With discrimination (meaning 'with good taste')”
Usage
Context Usage
Business
Refers to unfair practices in hiring, promotion, or pay based on protected characteristics.
Academic
A key concept in sociology, law, and political science; also used in psychology for 'discrimination learning'.
Everyday
Commonly used in discussions of social justice, personal experiences of unfair treatment, or news reports.
Technical
In law: 'prohibited discrimination'. In signal processing: 'frequency discrimination'.
Examples
By Part of Speech
verb
British English
- The law clearly states that employers must not discriminate on grounds of ethnicity.
- She argued that the algorithm was designed to discriminate against older applicants.
American English
- Federal law prohibits landlords from discriminating based on familial status.
- The test is not sensitive enough to discriminate between the two similar chemical compounds.
adverb
British English
- The manager acted discriminatorily by promoting only his friends.
- (Rare; often paraphrased)
American English
- The policy was applied discriminatorily, affecting one group more than others.
- (Rare; 'in a discriminatory manner' is more common)
adjective
British English
- The discriminatory policy was challenged in the High Court.
- He has a very discriminatory palate when it comes to wine.
American English
- The lawsuit alleged discriminatory hiring practices.
- The test uses discriminatory analysis to identify the pathogen.
Examples
By CEFR Level
- Discrimination is wrong.
- She fought against discrimination.
- There are laws against age discrimination in the workplace.
- The company was accused of racial discrimination.
- The report found evidence of systemic discrimination in the housing market.
- His discrimination in choosing fine art is widely respected in the industry.
- The tribunal examined whether the policy constituted indirect discrimination against women.
- The connoisseur's discrimination between the authentic and the forged painting was impeccable.
Learning
Memory Aids
Mnemonic
Think of a 'crime' in the middle of the word: discrimination is often about treating people like criminals for who they are.
Conceptual Metaphor
SOCIAL BARRIER ("breaking down barriers of discrimination"), DISEASE ("a cancer of discrimination"), FILTER ("filtering people out through discrimination")
Watch out
Common Pitfalls
Translation Traps (for Russian speakers)
- Avoid translating as "дискриминация" only in the negative sense; the positive 'discernment' meaning is "различение" or "разборчивость".
- The Russian borrowing "дискриминация" is used, but is less frequent in casual speech than in English.
Common Mistakes
- Using 'discrimination' to mean simply 'difference' (e.g., 'There is a discrimination between the two products' – incorrect).
- Confusing 'discrimination' (noun) with 'discriminate' (verb) in sentence structure.
Practice
Quiz
Which of the following uses 'discrimination' in its positive sense of 'good judgment'?
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
No. While its most common modern use refers to unjust treatment, it retains a positive meaning related to discernment and good taste, especially in formal contexts (e.g., 'discrimination in the arts').
Prejudice is a preconceived opinion or attitude, often negative, held without good reason. Discrimination is the unfair *action or behavior* that results from such prejudice.
Yes, the verb is 'to discriminate'. It similarly has two meanings: 1) to treat someone unfairly (e.g., 'discriminate against'), and 2) to recognize a distinction (e.g., 'discriminate between').
This term (more commonly called 'affirmative action' in the US) refers to policies that favour groups known to have been discriminated against previously, aiming to counter historical inequalities. It is a controversial term.
Collections
Part of a collection
Cultural Topics
B2 · 47 words · Analyzing culture, society and identity.
Global Issues
B2 · 47 words · Vocabulary for discussing world problems and politics.
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