Definition

1. Noun:
   • The cognitive ability to perceive and understand differences: "discrimination" refers to the mental process of distinguishing between two or more things, ideas, or stimuli. It involves making fine distinctions and judgments.
   • The unjust or prejudicial treatment of different categories of people: "discrimination" also denotes the unfair and harmful action of treating a person or group worse than others based on characteristics like race, age, gender, or religion.

Examples of Usage

• Noun (Cognitive Ability):

  • Her discrimination in matters of taste is excellent. (She has a very refined ability to judge quality.)
  • The test measures the child's auditory discrimination. (The test evaluates the child's ability to hear differences between sounds.)

• Noun (Unfair Treatment):

  • The law prohibits discrimination based on disability. (The law forbids unfair treatment of people because they have a disability.)
  • She filed a complaint about age discrimination at her workplace. (She officially reported being treated unfairly at work due to her age.)

Advanced Usage

• "to show discrimination": to demonstrate good judgment or taste.

  • He shows great discrimination in his choice of literature. (He demonstrates excellent judgment in the books he chooses to read.)

• "reverse discrimination": a term used to describe policies intended to correct past discrimination, which some argue unfairly advantage previously disadvantaged groups.

  • The debate centered on whether the hiring policy constituted reverse discrimination. (The argument focused on whether the hiring practice was unfair in the opposite direction.)

Variants and Related Words

• Discriminate (verb): to recognize a distinction or to treat a person or group unfairly.

  • It is wrong to discriminate against someone because of their background. (It is unjust to treat someone poorly based on their origin.)

• Discriminatory (adjective): showing unfair treatment.

  • The policy was criticized for being discriminatory. (The rule was condemned for being unjust.)

• Discriminating (adjective): having or showing refined taste or judgment.

  • The restaurant appeals to a discriminating clientele. (The restaurant attracts customers with refined taste.)

Synonyms

• Differentiation: the action of recognizing or identifying differences.
• Bias: prejudice in favor of or against one thing, person, or group compared with another.
• Prejudice: preconceived opinion that is not based on reason or actual experience, often leading to discrimination.

Related Phrases

• Price discrimination: (in economics) the action of selling the same product at different prices to different buyers.

  • The airline uses price discrimination, charging more for last-minute bookings. (The airline sells identical seats at higher prices to customers who book late.)

• Racial discrimination: unfair treatment based on race or ethnicity.

  • The movement fought to end racial discrimination in housing. (The campaign worked to stop unfair housing practices based on race.)

Related Idioms

• Discriminate between: to recognize the difference between two or more things.

  • A good critic must be able to discriminate between good and bad art. (A competent critic needs the skill to tell good art from bad.)

• A discriminating eye/ear/palette: a refined ability to judge quality in visual arts, music, or food/drink.

  • With her discriminating palate, she can identify every spice in the dish. (Because of her refined sense of taste, she can recognize all the spices used.)

Noun

1. the cognitive process whereby two or more stimuli are distinguished
2. unfair treatment of a person or group on the basis of prejudice